Kokoro: Soul, Heart
by ShikaNaru
Summary: Kokoro is a girl with a horrible past. When she's assigned a mission with a certain blonde will she learn to let go and live her life or break for good? What about when she finds out about the 9-tails? Will she reveal her deepest secret? Will she be willing to give her life for new friendships or let them die for the mission? Slight Sai-syndrome, poll up for who she ends up with.
1. Chapter 1

** Any and all comments are appreciated, flames will amuse me, and any OOCness will just have to be put up with. ^.^ Sorry, this is either my interpretation of the characters or my manipulation. This will take place after the time skip but not following cannon so Gaara is not in need of saving and events/deaths may be either disregarded or orchestrated. Enjoy or hate!  
**

**MAJOR EDIT COMPLETE**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**KOKORO: SOUL. HEART **

Kokoro was restless. Extremely restless. Her need for action, the kind that she could just throw herself into, was so great that she was contemplating challenging the famous green-spandex-duo to a competition of youth. Shuddering inwardly, she mentally berated herself- she would never be THAT desperate, no one would. Sighing, she closed her wide, green-flecked sliver eyes, wanting nothing more-except a mission- than to enjoy the sun and forget. That was probably the thing she desired most, though she would never admit it. All she wanted was to forget the pain for a moment, to become lost in the sea of warm rays originating from the sun. If she stopped thinking about it, maybe the pain and guilt would lessen. Maybe she could, if only for a few minutes, pretend she was an ordinary girl, a girl with a family, a girl with no blood on her hands, a girl with a future.

Who was she kidding? She was a ninja, and a damn good one at that. She sealed her fate the moment she walked out of the Academy with a hitai-ate and nothing would change it. The only way to escape that would be death, and that was one thing she didn't want to think about. Kokoro knew that if she started down that train of thought, her final destination would either be sprawled on the floor with slashed wrists or dead because of some mission she shouldn't have taken.

Shaking herself out of her stupor, Kokoro could've slapped herself. Ninjas didn't have a need for emotions; she shouldn't be having these thoughts, much less contemplating suicide!

"Meh, what a drag. Troublesome girl, you're in my cloud watching spot,"

Opening her unusual eyes to see who it was, Kokoro nearly pulled out one of her blades and slashed the bastard's throat. Instead, she simply reclosed her eyes and said coldly, "Deal with it, Nara."

"How did you know I was a Nara?"

"You said both troublesome and 'what a drag' in the same breath, pineapple hair, bored voice, cloud watching, and you look almost exactly like your father. Now, either shut up or leave me alone unless you have a reason to bother me," she spat, wanting nothing more than the young man now sitting next to her to go away. Why was it always her? Couldn't someone else have the horrible luck for a change? What more could happen? Everything had been taken away from her in one fell swoop, what more did the damn village and the gods that created it want from her?

Honestly, it would be so much easier to let go. To just-

"Meh, meeting here was coincidental, and normally I would leave you alone considering the circumstances, but I want to apologize on behalf of my entire clan." Shikamaru said, looking closely at the girl beside him who was now gazing at him with narrowed eyes and absently picking one of the abundant wild flowers that inhabited the field she was laying in.

Outwardly, Kokoro knew the Nara didn't see anything to be alarmed about. She didn't look like she was suffering a mental breakdown like most people would be if they had just experienced what she had two weeks ago. Long black hair was thrown casually into a side French braid that reached all the way to her hips, where two sheaths were strapped. Her green sleeveless turtleneck shirt went halfway down her stomach and her black pants stopped mid-thigh, held up by her forehead protector. The only accessory she wore adorned her left ear. It was a small, green hoop earring; its twin buried with hers.

"Look here, Shika- I don't want to talk to you or anyone else," Kokoro hissed. "I don't want to talk to them, see them, _smell _them even, and I definitely don't want their apologies. So I would appreciate it if you just _left me alone." _She almost wanted to stand up and scream. Why couldn't he understand; he was supposed to have an IQ over two-hundred! She wanted to be alone, she wanted to be alone, she wanted to be alone, dammit, _alone_.

"Troublesome," Shikamaru mumbled, getting up lazily and moving to go find another spot to watch the clouds and again causing Kokoro to want to scream. She shouldn't be alone, she shouldn't be alone, don't leave her alone, don't abandon her like everyone else.

She needed her anchor, she needed something to grab onto, she needed her _sister_, for god's sake!

But her sister was gone.

All her fault, all her fault, all her _stupid_ damn fault!

"Troublesome yourself, you fucking Nara," Kokoro practically growled, unable to stop the memories from crashing through the mental walls she had created to keep them subdued.

**~FLASHBACK MAGIC~**

_ "So the missing nin is a Nara?!" Takara, Kokoro's sister, asked their sensei in disbelief. The only differences between the two were the ear the earring resided on, the green flecks in Kokoro's eyes, and the colors of their clothing. While Kokoro wore green and black, Takara wore green and a light brown. _

_ "Afraid so, and he's able to hold their shadow jutsu for fifteen minutes too. Plus he has the Nara brains so we're practically screwed for planning. In order to win, we'll have to take him out as quickly as possible. Since he's travelling alone this shouldn't be too difficult, but Nara's are known for planning for everything so…" _

_ "Mitsuru-sensei?" Yuuto, Kokoro and Takara's shy teammate, asked hesitantly. He was truly a mouse of a boy before he started fighting. Most people were surprised he was even a ninja with the way he often stuttered and fumbled when put under pressure off-mission. Once he started swinging his fists, however, he resembled more of a patient lion- fearless, strong, and proud._

_ "Hm?" their sensei asked, not sounding very interested. He was the kind of person who tended to wing it, even when the situation was __extremely serious._

_ "What if- what if one of us gets caught in his shadow-possession jutsu?"_

_ "We won't." _

_ Half an hour later, Kokoro glanced at her sister out of the corner of her eye and saw her barley dodging the rouge Nara's probing shadow. In an act of pure instinct and desire she pushed her sister out of the way, leaving her own __shadow wide open._

_"Sisters are always the weakest and most predictable," the Nara droned, looking throughly bored._

_"Run! I can't break free! Yuuto, run!" she screamed as the missing nin made her run towards her teammate, but the boy, dizzy from-planned, no doubt-blood loss could barley move._

_Clumsily he blocked the first series of strikes, propelling himself further from the rest of his teammates with each second. When he found himself pressed against the rough bark of a tree, Yuuto wan't really surprised considering their opponent. He should've guessed there was a reason for the senseless slashing and hacking. Strangely, he felt almost happy that he was going to die at the hands of one of his friend's. _

_In an instant, one of Kokoro's twin blades was in his heart and he died, his eyes accepting and his mouth slightly upturned. _

_Mitsuru was next, only this time her victim wasn't nearly as complacent._

_"Release your hold on her and we'll retreat!" he roared, attempting to get Kokoro in a headlock._

_"That would result in too many problems down the road and, as my foolish clan head would say, that would be entirely too troublesome,"_

_In a move that made her swear she heard her bones groan in protest, he made her reverse their positions and Kokoro ended up __with her sensei's neck grasped in her hands._

_"I-sorry-failed-" he choked, eyes clouding over after she snapped his neck._

_"Stop it!" she yelled, tears filling her horror-struck eyes. "Please, don't make me! I'll surrender, just don't make me!"_

_When the Nara ignored her pleas and made her run after her sister, Kokoro fought with everything she had to break the jutsu._

_ It wasn't enough._

_ Seconds later, Takara's collapsed form fell from the branch she was standing on when she foolishly left herself open. Unlike the others, she didn't put up a fight, only standing, staring, and smiling as her twin, her other half, walked leisurely towards her. When Kokoro was close enough, her sister whispered one thing before her throat was slashed._

_"Don't lose yourself,"_

_Too numb after killing her sister and team, all Kokoro could do was tremble as the Nara made her walk towards him. When she was close enough to touch, he let out a chuckle, closing his eyes as he did so. _

_ They never reopened. _

_ Filled with grief, horror, anger, and raw pain Kokoro had finally been able to escape the jutsu at the cost of her team's, her makeshift family's, lives. _

_Oddly, the first thought that struck her was that she didn't even know the name of the man who had ripped apart her world, her very reason for existing. _

**~END FLASHBACK MAGIC~**

Not wanting to relive the aftermath of the battle, including sealing her teammate's bodies into a separate scroll than that of the Nara's, Kokoro forced the memories back behind her mental walls where they belonged, not quite out of sight but definitely out of mind.

Surprisingly, it was the recollection of that mission that fully decided Kokoro's heart.

She was a ninja, something that should be used as the Hokage saw fit. If she was going to die, then so be it. She would not let her emotions get the better of her again, she would no longer make bonds that could weaken her resolve, and she would no longer hold herself back for the sake of others. Too long had she stalled her promotion, entertaining a silly little thought that she and her sister, if kept together, could become more feared than anyone else. Without her pathetic bonds to hold her back, she saw it all so clearly. Why had she ever refused to take the Jonin exams? Why had she ignored her own potential?

But now, it was different.

She would never forget that she was a kunoichi above all else; she would never again lose herself.

It was only two days later while training in her team's old training ground that she sensed another presence standing beside her, and, in one fluid movement, she delivered a fying kick to the post and turned to to face him, her question obvious by her raised eyebrow.

"Lady Hokage has a new mission for you," the ANBU said before disappearing in a puff of smoke, leaving a slightly mad looking Kokoro grinning behind him.

"Well it's about damn time."

**_:_D First chappie, yay! Updates will be somewhat random, but I'll try to do one a week once the edit is finished. Please give me feedback, suggestions, flames, anything. Adios!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Once again, I apologize for any mistakes and whatnot and would love any suggestions! **

**Disclaimer- Yup, I am the proud owner of Naruto. Haha YOU wish! XD**

**MAJOR EDIT COMPLETE :D**

**KOKORO; SOUL, HEART**

As Kokoro walked towards the Hokage's office with a slight smirk on her face, she sensed two more chakra signatures than normal. One was… odd. It was unusually bright and felt almost divided. It wasn't someone she knew, that's for sure, though she thought she might have sensed it somewhere before; that made sense considering the fact that they had probably lived in the same village their whole lives. An odd shiver ran up her spine, the owner of the chakra signature couldn't be- no, she refused to think about it. The other one, however, was even more familiar, though she still couldn't place it. When she finally remembered, she was right outside the Hokage's office. Growling menacingly, she flung the door open and stood in the doorway, glaring.

"You…_pervert_," she hissed, eyes zeroing in on the man with wild white hair, and she didn't miss where his eyes drifted before they darted to her face. "You senile old _pervert_,"

As if by instinct, the man replied, "Super pervert! _Super_, not senile!"

In harmony, two female eyes narrowed dangerously. Sensing his mistake, the man, Jiraiya, put his hands up in a placating manner and backed up slowly until he was in front of the window. In a flash, Kokoro had him pinned against the wall by his neck. "You were spying on me," she breathed.

"Ah yes," he said with a slightly dreamy expression on his face. "You had the most beautiful- face! Haha face, yes, face!"

"I'm eighteen, you senile pervert!" Kokoro exclaimed with a dangerous glint in her eyes. "Ninjas should know better than to spy on women when they could be training, not to mention how _wrong _and disgusting it is! I should castrate you!"

"Hehe… sorry?"

"Sorry won't cut it,"

"I'm… a Sannin! Yeah, you wouldn't do that to a-"

"Orochimaru is a Sannin. I would gladly castrate him," Kokoro growled, not noticing the second person in the room stand up a little straighter.

"I-I'm the Toad Sage!"

"Senile Sage, more like,"

Jiraiya gulped, out of excuses.

"Alright imps, as much as I'd love to see Jiraiya get what he deserves, I have a mission for you and the brat." Tsunade interrupted, glaring at Jiraiya when he looked at her gratefully.

"Oi, Granny, I'm not a brat!"

For the first time, Kokoro took note of the cause of the second chakra signature. It was a boy a couple years younger than herself with spikey, untamed blonde hair and expressive, cerulean eyes. He was wearing an orange and black jumpsuit and his headband was brown and the straps were longer than normal, going halfway down his back.

"Actually, Naruto, you are. All the time," Jiraiya chuckled, looking amused until he caught the three-way stare directed at him. "I'll just- bye!" he yelped, disappearing out the window.

"Pervy Sage!" the boy, Naruto, yelled in disgust and annoyance.

"I swear, that man… Moving on! Naruto, meet Kokoro, Kokoro, meet Naruto. You two will be doing a three week long bodyguard mission together. You are to travel to a little village called Shukuso located on the outskirts of the Fire Nation and enroll in a private civilian school they have there. Basically, the daughter of a rich man will be attending for three weeks while her daddy does business. Details will be given when you arrive. Here's a map, get to know each other on the three day journey there, and goodbye," Tsunade said quickly, obviously in a hurry to be alone so she could sneak the most sake she could while Shizune was not in the room.

"Wait a minute, Grandma Tsunade! I just got back from training with Pervy Sage! I can handle stronger missions than stupid body guarding, even if it's for a girl! Believe it!"

"Lady Hokage, I sincerely doubt my abilities to complete this mission without murdering the loudmouth blonde," Kokoro said coldly, already annoyed and attempting to hand the map back to her. "He should be removed from the mission and reassigned to something more suited to his abilities,"

"Hey! Wait a minute, Gin-me **[silver eyes]**! I'm not a loudmouth and what does my hair color have to do with it?" Naruto demanded before her last sentence sunk in. "Wait! More suited to my abilities? Are you saying I can't handle stupid _body guarding_?"

"I'm saying that you wear your heart on your sleeve and would surely crack under the pressure that would be applied if captured,"

"What are you, a robot? And heart on my sleeve? What does that even mean? Let me tell you something, Gin-me. I-"

"Both of you, shut up! You are going on this mission because I said so, no arguments! Now get ready, you leave for Shukuso in an hour. Dismissed!"

**TWO AND A HALF HOURS LATER**

Kokoro was leaning on a tree with a blank expression on her face when Naruto strolled up to her smiling ear to ear.

"C'mon, Gin-me! We're already late so we'll have to make it up on the way!"

"And whose fault is it that we're running behind?"

"Well I had to stop for ramen. And I'm kinda used to my sensei, Kakashi, always showing up three hours late. By the time I remembered that I wasn't going on a mission with him-"

"You stopped for ramen? _Ramen_? And weren't you gone for three years? You shouldn't 'be used to' anything then! How are you even a ninja?"

"Well I actually failed the initial test. I only passed because one of my instructors turned out to be a traitor and convinced me to steal a scroll from the Hokage and by the time my _other_ instructor found us-"

"Do yourself a favor and shut up,"

"Hey! Don't tell me to shut up, Gin-me!" Naruto yelled, furious.

"Don't call me that if you don't want me to punch the shit out of you,"

"I'd like to see you try, Gin-me! I bet I could've beaten you when I was in the academy!"

"A couple things wrong with that. One- didn't you _just_ say you failed the test? And two- I was out of the academy two years before you. And I passed the first time. You couldn't have beaten me if you tried,"

"That's beside the point! And now, thanks to you, we're even more behind schedule! So great job, _Gin-me_!"

The argument probably would have continued for much longer if Kokoro hadn't snapped and attempted to punch Naruto's lights out. With a manly shriek, he took off running, enraged kunoichi right behind. Luckily, before too long, she realized they didn't know where they were going and pulled out the map Tsunade had given her.

"Loudmouthed idiot! We're going the wrong way!"

"Well how was I supposed to know, you're the one with the map! And I'm not a loudmouth! Or an idiot, Koko!"

Instantly, he found himself pinned to tree with a sword pressed against his chest. Since her head was slightly bowed Naruto couldn't see her eyes, but he was pretty sure that if he could they would be full of pain. He was also pretty sure he had accidently crossed some sort of line.

"Don't you _ever_ call me that, got it?" her voice was dangerously low. "I can take the Gin-me, though it annoys the shit out of me, but if you ever call me that again I will make it so your own mother wouldn't recognize you. Are we clear?"

"Yes. I'm sorry I upset you, it just came out. I will refrain from calling you that in the future,"

"Good. Come on, we still have a long way to go," Kokoro said as she sheathed her sword, mildly impressed at his maturity. She knew she had overreacted, but hearing Takara's favorite pet name come out of someone else's lips had caused something in her to snap.

"But for the record," Naruto continued quietly, "I don't have parents,"

The silence that fell over the two was going to last a while, leaving time for her to gather her thoughts.

It was obviously going to be difficult killing all emotions, she knew that, but what was it about the idiotic kid that made even worse? Was it because he reminded her of a much younger Takara?

Dammit, why couldn't she get away from her? Hadn't she been through enough?

No. Her opinions didn't matter. She was a ninja and she would go wherever she was told to go, do whatever she was told to do, act however she was told to act, and kill whomever she was told to kill. It didn't matter of it went against her almost non-existent moral compass, it didn't matter if it was killing someone she knew, and it didn't matter if it required her to lay down her life.

She was a ninja, a kunoichi, and she obeyed orders without question or hesitation.

She was a tool to Konoha, to Lady Tsunade, and when she was decided unfit she would allow herself to be discarded. Yes, she was a tool.

But she was already broken.

**So, how was the second chappie? Any good? Awful? I, using some wonderful advice, tried to slow down a bit and describe a bit more. Speaking of advice, steeltoesandal, I thank you most humbly! And thank you for your kind words, Sora Tsukino! They touched my heart! *sniff* XD Until next time! **


	3. Chapter 3

**The ANs will be at the end from now on.**

**Disclaimer: Does Sasuke show up wearing make up and a pink dress? No? Okay, I still don't own anything yet then.  
**

**MAJOR EDIT COMPLETE**

**KOKORO; SOUL, HEART**

The silence that had begun after Kokoro's episode and Naruto's announcement lasted almost a full hour, something Kokoro didn't think the blonde was capable of. Eventually, Naruto chose to break the silence.

"Gin-me, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have dropped that on you. I normally wouldn't but I guess I just saw the same loneliness in your eyes that I used to have and it threw me off guard,"

"I don't know what you're talking about. Why would I be lonely? I'm perfectly fine; I don't need anyone. And a ninja should never be off guard. Expect the unexpected, loudmouth," she replied maliciously. Silently, however, she wondered at his last statement. In her entire life, the only one who had ever been able to see through her was Takara, and that was only doubled after _that _incident, the one that taught them never to trust others at the young age of seven. All anyone ever saw was the happy, friendly twin and the slightly-less-happy, over-protective twin. Even when they were assigned to the same team (which, to be honest, still confused her) they never told their team how they really felt. In fact, only Mitsuru-sensei had even known about what had happened when they were children, and even he thought they had gotten over it. The sad part was, they had known each other for almost six years. Of course, for a time, they almost _had_ gotten over it. After a year on their team they had started to forget about that horrible night and rarely dreamed about it. Since their deaths however, many of the vivid details came rushing back to Kokoro. She had thought that she had disguised the pain pretty well considering no one ever commented on it.

_So how the heck did some guy she'd just met see the 'loneliness' in her eyes_?

Of course it could be that Naruto was just seeing what most of the other inhabitants of Konoha were trying not to truly notice. Ninjas as a whole had very few pleasant experiences and so many just found it easier to ignore other's pain and, in turn, bury theirs. Naruto, however, was probably one of the few who actually believed that they could help that suffering dissipate if he shared his own pain.

Or maybe he just wanted pity. Either way, Kokoro wasn't going to comment on his little revelation and if he attempted to 'fix' her in any way he find himself losing a limb to one of her ill-tempered swords.

Inwardly, Naruto was fuming. He had been hoping that if he dropped the 'no parents' bomb that Kokoro would either a) open up and spill her life story or b) at least get curious and ask questions that would turn into option a. Why were all the ninja in his village so damn screwed up? Wasn't there _one_ ninja who didn't have a horrible childhood besides Sakura? Sasuke and his massacred family, Haku and his bloodline limit disaster, Neji and his branch family issues, and even himself with no parents and a demon fox living rent-free in his belly.

Actually... Shikamaru, Choji, Ino, TenTen, Kiba, and sunglasses-dude didn't seem to have any problems.

Hmm... wait a minute! Everyone with problems were extremely powerful and everyone without was... not so much. Could there be a connection? Could there be some sort of program that screwed with people's lives to see the difference in power levels? Was his whole life a lie? Did he even chose to like ramen?

"Hey, Gin-me, do you like ramen?" he asked, eyes wide with the possibilities of his discovery.

"I don't see what ramen has to do with this mission, other than making us late,"

"It doesn't have to be about the mission! It's _ramen_! Delicious, perfectly cooked noodles drowning in perfect broth... It's like a gift from the gods! I love every kind of ramen really- miso, pork, everything! If it has ramen in the name, I-"

"Dammit, brat! I don't even want you here! Why don't you just do me a favor and _shut the hell up_?" Kokoro finally exploded, accidently triggering a memory.

_"Demon brat! No one wants you here! Why don't you just do everyone a favor and die?!"_

_ "I'm not a demon! And just you wait, I'm going to be Hokage someday, believe it!" a blonde kid yelled defiantly, his blue eyes determined. _

_ "Koko, who was that?" her sister asked as the orange-clad boy ran from the scene. _

_ "It doesn't matter, Takara. It's not our problem,"_

Gasping, Kokoro stopped on the branch she had just landed on, trying to make sense of the random memory from when she was eight or nine.

It couldn't be... there's no way that after so many years she would be stuck on a mission with _him_.

"Gin-me? Are you okay? We can stop if you're too tired," Naruto said, not even reacting to her earlier outburst.

"Believe it," she mumbled, so quiet that Naruto could barely hear her.

"What? Gin-me, did you hit your head or something?"

_"Wait a minute, Grandma Tsunade! I just got back from training with Pervy Sage! I can handle stronger missions than stupid _body guarding_, even if it's for a girl! Believe it!"_

"Naruto…"

"Umm… yeah?" he asked, feeling slightly apprehensive at her use of his name instead of 'loudmouth' or 'idiot'.

The blonde hair, the blue eyes, the orange, the stupid catchphrase, the loneliness. Shit, she wasn't making up the parallels.

"Gin-me?"

He was the boy that shopkeeper was yelling at. The _demon brat. _And not only that…

"_Gin-me_?!"

…he was the one who had been all alone as well. The one the Third Hokage had asked them to make friends with. The one they ignored, just like all the others. Naruto… Dammit, she couldn't remember his last name. Naruto… Okasaki? Uzachaki?

"_Kokoro_!"

"_Naruto Uzumaki_!" she accidentally exclaimed out loud as she remembered his last name, only to almost fall of her branch in a very un-ninja like manner when she noticed Naruto's face inches from her own. "Dammit, Naruto! Don't do that!"

Instead of retorting, however, he just leaned back with an almost cautious look on his face.

"I'd love to think that I'm famous or something, but somehow I seriously doubt it. How do you know my last name?"

Kokoro didn't answer and only stared at him blankly, though inside she was mentally kicking her younger self into a bloody pulp. _How could they have left someone else all alone like that? _Maybe if they hadn't things would've turned out differently. Maybe Takara wouldn't-

"Kokoro, how did you know my last name? I never told you, Tsunade never mentioned it, and neither did Jiraiya. So how did you know it?"

She calmly looked him straight in the eye and said, "I'm a Chunnin. We were briefed on possible threats to the village and Sasuke Uchiha came up. Naturally, with you being his teammate, you came up as well. Plus, with all your screaming about being the next Hokage, who wouldn't at least know your face? I remembered your first name but your last name kept bothering me. As you can see, I remembered it and slightly overreacted. Now, we have somewhere to be, loudmouth. Let's go,"

After looking at her retreating form for a moment, Naruto accepted that it was a plausible explanation and thought about it no more. Once he caught up to her, he began small talk, asking her why she used swords and such. She responded with a curt, "I have my reasons. They being family heirlooms among them. Do you have to be nosy on top of loudmouthed?"

"Oi, I'm not nosy or a loudmouth! And even if I was, at least I wouldn't be a stuck up jerk with arrogance to rival the Hyuuga clan's!"

"Don't call me arrogant!"

In the end, Kokoro lost even more respect for the blonde. What kind of ninja accepted stupid lies like that at face value? Ninjas were supposed to be the elite, not dumb and loud.

Naruto was glad because, for one crazy moment, it had looked like she had remembered him. He had recognized her after she pulled out her crazy swords, but the very thought that she would remember him made him feel so guilty. He had been the one to let her and her sister wallow in hidden loneliness after all. The Old Man had tried to get him to approach them, but he decided he didn't need them, even though it was a lie. And not once had he even thought about the impacts on them! Now it was different though, now he could help her. And the first step was figuring out why she was hurting so much. Was it something that had to do with her childhood? Considering their age group (eh, two years was close enough) it was likely. And he could always go talk to her sister if she never opened up.

Neither ninja noticed the two random chakra signatures rapidly closing in on them, something that would embarrass Kokoro and annoy Naruto to no end.  
**  
So, I just want to thank my wonderful beta, steeltoedsandal, for improving this chapter's contents 100%! If anyone has any questions, feel free to PM me or just leave it in the comments and I'll do my best to answer them. In case any of you are confused, Kokoro (plus her sister) and Naruto never actually met, the Third Hokage just wanted them to be friends because of Naruto's 'condition' and something that happeded to Kokoro and Takara when they were kids. Never fear, all will be revealed! **


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Do I seriously have to say that every time?  
**

**MAJOR EDIT COMPLETE**

**KOKORO: SOUL, HEART**

By the time either of them noticed the attackers, all Naruto could do was dodge the kunai aimed at his back.

"Dammit! How'd I let them get the drop on us?" Kokoro cursed, unsheathing the twin blades she carried on her hips as she got in a battle position. "Show yourselves!"

"Hmmm… now why would we do that?" a female voice asked, and both Konoha ninja could tell she was arrogant.

"Because if you don't we'll kick your butts!" Naruto yelled, five shadow clones already surrounding the original.

"That's not a valid reason, loudmouth! Though the fact that I know the female is hiding behind the tree two meters to my left and her male companion is currently attempting to sneak up behind you and failing miserably seems like a good reason to me, no?"

Without another word, a man with an eye patch and shaved head jumped towards Naruto and destroyed a random clone with a flying kick to its head.

"Oi, brat! You gonna make this interesting or are you gonna be as boring as the last Konoha ninja I killed?"

"I'm not a brat! Why does everyone say that?" he grumbled, and that was all Kokoro was able to witness before her attention was occupied by her opponent.

She was probably in her twenties and looked to be in good shape. The weapon she held was unusual and crude- a long metal rod.

"Prepared to die?" she growled, charging towards her with a feral grin on her face.

With almost cat-like grace, Kokoro jumped up, did a neat flip, and landed behind her. The woman barely managed to dodge her blades as they came thrusting at her heart, falling off the branch as she did so. After she landed, she turned and faced Kokoro, the grin gone from her face.

"You're quick; I'll give you that,"

Before she could blink Kokoro was behind her again, one of her swords raised in a deadly arc while the other jabbed forward preventing an easy dodge. When they connected to their target, however, it dissolved into a puff of smoke. On instinct, Kokoro crouched and crossed her blades in front of her chest. Lo and behold, there was a clang of metal as the woman's rod hit where her unprotected chest had been the moment before.

"Your swords must be strong; Daiki usually breaks every blade he faces,"

Ok, so she named her weapons.

Not bothering to answer, Kokoro pumped chakra into her arms and jumped up and forward, pulling the woman with her and causing her to slam into a tree. When she got up, she practically snarled.

It was around this time that Kokoro noticed two things. One- the woman, and probably the man too, wasn't wearing any hitai-ate, and two- the rod she was holding now had electricity running through it.

Crap.

Kokoro really, _really_ hated lightning. It was probably one of her greatest weaknesses, which didn't even make sense considering her chakra affinity was wind- it should be the other way around. Of course, it probably had something to do with _her_ but that was something she didn't even want to think about.

Kokoro spent the next five minutes barely dodging kunai and metal rods from hell- the woman had pulled out two more after she had managed to send one flying through the forest- and attempting to kill the annoyingly persistent woman who wouldn't stay down. It had taken the entirety of this time-and a few minor injuries- for Kokoro to decide whether or not to use jutsu.

"You know, I hate jutsu-"

"Oh really now?"

"-but I have no qualms about using one on someone as annoying as you, Secret Technique: Air Needles!" she roared, smirking as the woman gasped in pain. It was a dangerous jutsu- razor sharp needles were formed from the air and launched at the target in seconds. They were impossible to block and almost endless in quantity. The only downside was the amount of chakra they took- most Chuunin would pass out from chakra exhaustion after using it once. Normally, Kokoro wouldn't have used it, but today she was irritated and that insufferable woman was pissing her off even more.

In seconds the woman was dead, leaving Kokoro to wonder where her temporary teammate was and how much more time he was going to waste.

OOooOOooOO

Naruto was getting frustrated; the one eyed man simply wouldn't give up. Not that he would if he were in the man's position- Naruto had yet to land a single major hit. Every time he did, it turned out to be a clone or he'd use a substitution jutsu; every time he got close the man would just smirk and dodge him as if he were nothing.

"Ha! Brat, you're nothing!"

A tick appeared in Naruto's forehead, "Will you shut up so I can pound you into the ground?!"

"Aw, is the little baby mad that he can't land a punch on mean old Hibiki?"

"Yes!" Naruto yelled, leaping to a thicker branch. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

"I'm getting tired of your pathetic clones. Don't you have anything worth my time?" the man, Hibiki, whined, pulling out an ax.

"What?" Naruto shrieked. "How the hell did you hide an ax?!"

"I'm a ninja, birdbrain. Ninjas can do cool stuff like that. Guess that makes you a worthless brat,"

"I'm a ninja too!" the blonde protested, glaring as he destroyed all ten of his clones in two swipes of his ax.

"Damn smoke..." Hibiki muttered, giving Naruto an idea.

"Na na na boo-boo, you can't catch me!" he taunted, jumping from branch to branch until he entered a clearing. Chuckling immaturely, Naruto squatted, folded his arms like wings, and began to make chicken noises. "Big ol' Hibiki is afraid of a kid,"

"You stupid- damn these clones!"

Naruto only laughed as twenty clones charged at Hibiki, blood curdling war cries springing from their lips. In one giant blow, all the clones were destroyed, vanishing in an even bigger puff of smoke than before.

He stopped cursing when he got a Rasengan in his face.

OOooOOooOO

"Will you stop squirming?" Kokoro demanded as she tried to tie a bandage around Naruto's arm. After the fight, they had decided to camp for the night in the small clearing he had stumbled upon while fighting Hibiki.

"No, I won't!" Naruto said vehemently. "It's only a small cut from a kunai and I heal fast. Besides, you look like you need more medical attention than I do,"

It was true. Kokoro had quite a few small cuts on her arms and a bigger one starting at her knee and ending at her ankle.

"How did you get those anyway? I thought the only weapons the ugly lady had were kunai and that stupid rod thing,"

"It's hard to dodge ten kunai at once while trying not to get hit by a lightning-enhanced rod," she replied, slightly annoyed at his assumption that the woman had been a pushover.

"Hmm… too bad you can't do that rotation thing Neji can since you're just as arrogant as he is…"

"Why do you keep bringing up Hyuugas? And wasn't one of your classmates a Hyuuga? Shouldn't you respect them?" she asked, genuinely curious though she would never admit it. Naruto didn't seem like the type of guy to run around purposefully offending people. Then again, he was an oblivious moron.

"You mean Hinata? What about her?"

"You keep insulting the Hyuuga clan, doesn't that bother her?"

"Huh? I'm not insulting them. They're proud of their arrogance. I'm pretty sure they have secret contests to see who can be the most arrogant," he whispered as if they were talking about something hush-hush.

"You're an idiot, Naruto," Kokoro whispered back, laughing as she finished tying the bandage.

"Oh my god,"

"Huh?"

"You laughed,"

"And…?" she trailed off, fuming inwardly. Damn charismatic charm on idiotic blondes who don't know the meaning of the words 'personal space'!

"You actually laughed. And you bandaged my wound. And you were curious about my classmates. And you called me by my name. Who the heck are you?!" Naruto yelped, jumping up and backing away slowly. "Are you that woman? Did you take over Gin-me's body using some zombie jutsu? Or is it just a simple henge?"

"Shut up, loudmouth. Just because I- ugh just take first watch and wake me up at midnight," she ordered, walking to her sleeping bag with only a slight limp. Inwardly, she cursed herself for letting her guard down. She wasn't a ninja to make friends, not that she wanted any.

Naruto only watched her go with a grim look on his face. For a moment, she had seemed almost human; the barrier that she used to block out the world had weakened. Of course he had to be an idiot and point it out, putting her on her guard! Sighing, he almost let her go.

But what kind of person would let their injured comrade limp around unaided?

"Oi, Gin-me! You'd be dead weight injured like that. Use some of this,"

Without a word, she accepted the small jar he had thrown at her.

"Hinata made it, she's a pretty good medic too. It should help at least a little,"

"Whatever, loudmouth,"

"Love you too!" He replied cheerily.

"Just wake me up at midnight,"

For a minute, she couldn't help but feel grateful for Naruto's kindness.

Then she squashed it like an annoying bug.

Ninjas didn't need friends.

_"C'mon, Koko! Don't you want to come with us? It'll be fun, I promise! Yuuto's sister is coming too so we won't be the only girls,"_

_"Oh alright,"_

_"Yay! Koko's making friends!"_

Ninjas didn't need emotions.

_"Koko, lighten up. It was only a joke,"_

_"Will you stop laughing?!"_

Ninjas didn't need bonds or promises.

_"Koko? I miss mom. And Kaida,"_

_"I do too. It's okay, Takara. We still have each other. Even though the rest of the world can't be trusted, you can always trust me! I'll always keep you safe and you'll do the same for me. Deal?"_

_"Deal!"_

Bonds made niinjas weak.

_"Run! I can't break free! Yuuto, run!"_

And weakness was something a ninja couldn't have.

_"You wouldn't kill me, little girl. You don't have it in you,"_

_"Oh, I don't? Hibiki, wasn't it? While Naruto is weak and squeamish rest assured that I am not. Your grave will have no marker, Hibiki,"_

_"No- you're just a girl-you wouldn't-"_

_"I may be eighteen, but I became an adult when my father ruined my life. Good bye,"_

_"No! Noo-"_

No. Kokoro wasn't weak and she never would be. It didn't matter if Naruto was the god of charm, she would not waver. If it took an hour every night to reflect on the fact that she was a kunoichi then so be it. No matter the cost, no matter the pain, she would rip out her heart to prevent any further defects by the end of this mission.

_"Don't lose yourself,"_

She was wrong. When Takara had spoken those words, she was wrong. Kokoro hadn't found herself yet.

Maybe loudmouthed blondes were good for something after all.

**So, how did you like my first action scene? Any ideas for pairings, or do you even want any? Any requests? Complaints? Thoughts? I need to know these answers! [I need to find my way! Seize my tomorrow, learn my yesterday! Yes, I watch Barbie XD]**

**The next chappie will be zooming back to when Kokoro was around nine and Naruto was seven but I'm too lazy to put everything in itallics so I won't. You have been forewarned!**


	5. Chapter 5- Flashback no Jutsu

**Boys and girls I have a lesson for you- DONT PROCRASTINATE! IT. WILL. KILL. YOU. Pshwaw, like you didn't already know that. **

**Disclaimer I don't own anything other than the bag of Chex Mix I'm currently eating. Mmmmm, Chex Mix is good...**

**MAJOR EDIT COMPLETE**

KOKORO: SOUL, HEART

The laughter of two girls echoed across the small park. They had just turned seven years old the week before and looked exactly the same- same black hair cut short with the top pulled back by a green clip, same green t-shirt, same piercing, yet innocent, silver eyes, same wide open smile. They were taking turns jumping off the top of the slide to see who could keep their balance the most when one noticed how dark it was getting.

"Koko! Kaida is gonna kill us!" one yelled, causing the other to freeze and stare at the setting sun with a betrayed look.

"You were supposed to tell us when it was time to leave," she accused and when she didn't receive an answer, she jumped off the slide and landed with grace unusual for a girl of her age. An adorable scowl adorned her features. "Come on, Takara. But don't run- since we're already late we might as well take our time," Kokoro said, turning around to grin at her appalled looking sister.

"But she said that if we were late again-"Takara began, but was interrupted by her twin's laugh

"You don't really think she'd use her blades on her own sisters do you?" Kokoro asked cockily, an amused smile on her face.

"Well she did just get back from a stressful mission yesterday…"

"Takara, she's a Chuunin planning on taking the Jonin test, I'm pretty sure she's learned to control her homeceed- homicidal urges,"

And with that, the two headed home reluctantly and leisurely, unaware that the sun's forgetfulness saved their lives.

OOooOOooOO

"Kaida!" Kokoro called as they ran up the steps to their house. "Sorry we're late!"

"Get out of here! Run! Don't look ba-" the desperate shout was cut off suddenly, leaving the two sisters to stare at the door apprehensively.

"Ka-Kaida?"

"Kaida!"

Though the yells came at the same time, they held different tones. Takara's was unsure and hesitant; Kokoro's was angry and bold. As soon as the name left their lips, however, both did exactly the same thing.

Without another thought, both Pre-Genin ran into their house with the intent to save their sister from whatever dared to come near her.

To save their _Chuunin _sister, Takara realized.

Suddenly remembering that and the shout they had heard outside snapped Takara back to reality, causing her to hesitate a second before charging into their living room.

Kokoro, however, had no such doubts, running into the room at full speed, dulled kunai drawn.

Only to freeze in horror at the sight in front of her.

Her mother was collapsed on the floor with her two month old brother clutched limply in her arms. A dark liquid was pooling out under them, and she noticed her brother's eyes open. Open but unseeing. Clutching but clutching limply. Her seven-year old mind struggled to comprehend the implications, but it still managed.

Her mom and brother were dead.

Her mind blanked.

Her twin screamed.

Time seemed to slow down as Kokoro's eyes moved from the bodies on the floor to the other side of the room where Kaida was slumped against the wall, barely breathing and unconscious with a horrible wound in her stomach. She was momentarily filled with relief when she saw her father standing over her seventeen year old sister about to give her much needed medical attention, neglecting his own wounds in favor of his daughter's as any good father would and ignoring the uninjured's hysteria. His wounds were no doubt attained when he fought off the murderer of his wife and only son, and now he was going to help Kaida and Takara and Kokoro figure out what happened and then rebuild their lives.

Then his hands, the same hands that combed through her hair before bed and corrected her homework, wrapped themselves around Kaida's neck and began to squeeze the life out of their eldest daughter.

It was too much for Takara. She ran, sobbing, and attempted to throw her arms around their father's waist, screaming, "No! Daddy, please stop! Please!"

Their _Jonin_ father, Kokoro dimly realized.

Right before Takara's arms could reach him; their father whipped around and flung her across the room, not even wincing at the sickening crack signaling at least one broken bone. As her twin's body slid lifelessly to the floor, Kokoro could only stare at the monster in her father's body, the monster that had taken over her father's body. It wasn't her father; it couldn't be her father. The maniacal glint in his eyes confirmed it. The monster was going to kill her sisters. She couldn't let the monster kill her sisters.

Shouting a war cry, Kokoro charged at the monster…

…only to find herself pinned against the wall with hands around her neck.

"Good, you finally came home, Koko. _You're the one I was waiting for_," the monster grinned, and Kokoro could feel consciousness escaping her.

But, really, it was okay. Just as long as her sisters were okay. Just as long as she had been able to save them from the monster. Just as long as they lived.

Darkness appeared and swallowed her whole.

OOooOOooOO

Pain.

That was the first thing Takara was aware of when she came to. It wasn't unbearable, more like a dull, throbbing ache originating from her left arm. Or was it her right? Maybe her leg? She wasn't sure, her head hurt too much for things to make sense.

"Takara,"

Why did she hurt so much? Did she fall off the slide and hit her head?

"Takara,"

No, that couldn't be it. She and Kokoro had left the park. They had come home and-

"_Takara_,"

Her eyes flew open at the raspy voice that had called her name.

"Thank god you're awake," it whispered.

"Ka-Kaida?" she whimpered, attempting to push herself off the ground, only to freeze as her whole body went numb with pain.

"Shhh, don't try to put weight on that arm, it's broken pretty badly," Kaida's weak voice was interrupted by hacking coughs.

"Kaida!" Takara gasped, ignoring her own pain as she took unsteady steps towards her deathly pale sister, anger welling up inside her as she realized who did this.

It was their father. Their _father_ did these horrible things, it wasn't some jutsu or illusion or nightmare, their dad had killed their mother and baby brother, had severely injured Kaida, had kidnapped Kokoro. Why? What kind of father did those things? Was he ever the man that they had thought he was? Did all ninjas turn out like _this_, like Itachi Uchiha?

"I'm-I'm fine," she attempted to say, but was overtaken by another coughing fit and this time Takara saw the blood that splattered out with the force of it.

"No-no, not you-you too! I-I can't lose every-everyone!" Takara sobbed, kneeling by her sister. She couldn't lose her mother, brother, and twin to her father. Everything couldn't be taken away in one night! Someone had to stay, someone had to take care of her, someone had to save Koko, and someone had to hold everything together!

"Koko's not dead,"

"Wh-what?"

"I'm not going to pretend I'm going to make it-"

"Don't say that!"

"-but Kokoro might. Listen to me, please," she said calmly. "You have to go get someone, preferably ANBU, but anyone will do. Tell them, tell them Hajime Haratsuchi attacked and killed everyone in your immediate family except you and your sister, who he took hostage. Understand?"

"Bu-but-"

"Good, now go! And take these just in case," Kaida said weakly, motioning her to take the two swords strapped to her waist.

"But what about you?" Takara asked frantically. "I can't just leave you here all- Kaida?" she whispered. "Kaida?" her voice was raising in pitch. "Kaida you- you can't! I don't- I don't know what to do! Come back! Come back!" she pleaded, tears running down her face.

But it was too late; Kaida was dead.

Sobbing, Takara could barely bring herself to pick up the blades; she had never wanted them, and even if she had she would've gladly given up the opportunity to use them if Kaida would only wake up. Trying to pull herself together, Takara repeated the one thing that she could remember from class that day.

Ninjas are strong warriors.

Ninjas are strong warriors.

Ninjas are strong warriors.

_Ninjas are strong warriors._

"Somebody, please,_ help!" _Takara screamed, collapsing onto the sidewalk she had just run onto. Her brain wouldn't work. Where was she even going? Why didn't anyone come running?

"Kid, what's wrong? Your arm... What happened? Is anyone else hurt? Can you hear me? Girl! Kid, you have to tell me what's wrong!" an increasingly desperate voice demanded.

"You have to help! He-he took my sister! You have to save her! Please, hurry! He's lost it, he's going to kill my sister!"

"Calm-"

'You have to help her!" she screeched, grabbing his arm in a vice-like grip.

"Listen to me, you have to calm down. Who took your sister?"

"My-my dad,"

"And who is he?"

"H-Hajime Haratsuchi,"

"Dammit. Which way did he go?"

"I don't-I don't know," she whimpered.

OOooOOooOO

All Kokoro was aware of was pain and her own screams ripping out of her throat. The pain was unbearable, practically radiating from her whole body. It hurt so bad, it felt as if her very soul was being split in two. She knew that the way she was writhing on the ground was probably enough to give someone nightmares, but she didn't really care.

She just wanted it to _stop_.

She had no idea how long she had been there, though it felt like days. That wasn't likely though. Surely someone, _anyone_, would have come rushing to her aid by then.

She gave a fresh scream as the pain flared up in her eyes of all places; she almost felt like reaching up and clawing them out. She probably would've too, but she couldn't move. Her body, already burning with incomprehensible pain, would flare at every little movement and screaming was taking a lot out of her.

Then everything stopped. The pain just disappeared, as if it was never there.

Out of pure relief, Kokoro slipped once again into unconsciousness.

OOooOOooOO

When she awoke, Kokoro had absolutely no idea where she was. The only thing she could tell was that she was lying in a bed covered in white sheets and in a room with white walls, white floors, and a white ceiling and that there was a person with white hair leaning against the wall.

"Who-" she rasped, but the man-boy? he seemed youngish. It was hard to tell through his mask, though- cut her off with a wave of his hand.

"Don't try to talk; you're still very weak. My name is Kakashi. I'm the one who... saved you from Hajime Haratsuchi,"

In a way, Kokoro was glad that he didn't say 'your father'- it made it very clear that the man who did... all those horrible things was not the same one who twirled her around when she got a good grade.

"Unfortunately, he didn't make it. You wouldn't have either of your twin hadn't run into me, screaming like a banshee. Don't worry, she's fine. No one could get her to leave for anything- food, shower, rest- and so they sent for me. You've been out for four days, Kokoro, she would have starved. She should be back in a couple hours though, so don't worry. Now, rest. Takara can fill you in on everything else when you wake up for good," he said, giving her a weird eye-smile before everything faded to a murky grey and back into black.

OOooOOooOO

Both twins were numb from disbelief at what had just happened. Their own father had gone psychopathic, killing their immediate family and performing a forbidden jutsu on Kokoro, and now, a mere week since _that night_, the clan head had kicked them out to fend for themselves.

The Haratsuchi wasn't a particularly big clan, but they prided themselves on their high-quality ninja. Most members made it to Jonin, nearly eighty-two percent of their ninja population, which was much higher than the other clans. Though they were mostly ninja, there were still some who weren't and had no desire to be and they were treated fairly. The Haratsuchi clan head, Fumio, didn't have a problem with that and he mostly didn't flaunt his power, choosing instead to participate as a normal member of the clan.

So why did he kick two helpless seven year olds, who had just gone through a severely traumatic experience, out into the village with no caretaker and only the promise of a monthly allowance to keep them going?

Even the Hokage had stopped by to try and reason with him, but he had no real power in clan affairs so he made no difference.

They were now completely alone, with only each other and the knowledge that you could never trust anyone to keep them company.

And Kakashi. The man had taken an interest in them, it seemed, and was never far behind. He had told them, "I'll... stop by from time to time. And just remember- if you need anything, I'm always here. Unless I'm not. Then you have to find someone else,"

He was an odd one, alright, and the twins weren't exactly sure what to make of him.

OOooOOooOO

"What do you think he wants?" Takara asked as she and her sister made their way to the Hokage's office a couple weeks later.

"Dunno. But it better not be pity. We don't need pity; we can take care of ourselves,"

Neither said anything else until the Third Hokage asked them a direct question.

"I want an honest answer from the two of you. Are you lonely?"

"What?" Kokoro spluttered, astonished by the mere bluntness of the question.

"Let me rephrase. Would you like a friend? I know that the two of you were always slight loners, never making other friends. But now, I personally think you need one or two, besides Kakashi, that is,"

"Listen, old man-"

"Koko!"

"We don't need anyone else! Never really had and never will! So don't worry about a thing and kindly leave us alone,"

"I'm so sorry, Lord Hokage, she can get a bit worked up-"

"No, no, it's perfectly fine," he chuckled.

"But, with all due respect, I agree. We've taken care of ourselves for this long, why would we need someone now?"

The Hokage seemed to think hard about that one before finally answering, "It's not so much that you need someone, but that you shouldn't be alone. I understand that you're perfectly capable of taking care of yourselves and in an emergency you have young Hatake, but everyone deserves a confidant outside of family and and strange men they met under tragic circumstances. And the person I have in mind is all alone as well- you would understand each other. He's only two years younger than you and has been alone his whole life. I daresay he needs a friend as well before he goes crazy," the sad gleam in his eye wasn't missed by the twins, but it was ignored.

"We don't-"

"-need a friend and-"

"-that's final," Kokoro and Takara said together, and the former spun on her heels and marched out of the room.

"Thank you for your concern, Lord Hokage," Takara tagged on, and left with her sister.

The Hokage sighed; he had had a feeling that that was how things would turn out. Both of them were too stubborn for their own good. Not to mention that the only good things that came out of the whole mess were hardly even noteworthy. What kind consolation was it to two girls who had just had their lives ripped apart that now they had a new 'friend' in the form of Konoha's number one, porn-reading, anti-social ninja and that now people could get their names right on the first try?

Because ever since _that night, _there had been a slight difference. It wasn't anything major, the twins still had the same face and same hair and same silver eyes, but instead of pure silver, Kokoro now had flecks of green surrounding her pupils.

OOooOOooOO

"Kakashi? Can I ask you something?" Gai, dropping his exuberant facade, asked seriously in the privacy of his 'eternal rival's' small apartment.

"You mean besides the thing you just did?"

"Yes,"

"Go ahead," he sighed, slipping out his orange book.

"Why are you so interested in those Haratsuchi girls?"

After a long pause, in which Kakashi never flipped a page, he finally answered.

"Does it really matter? They came up to me today and informed me that they no longer needed anyone to look out for them and then marched away with their juvenile heads held high. Actually, that was only Kokoro, Takara stayed back to thank me for my help and gave me a small hug before racing away to find her hot-headed sister,"

"I see. Kakashi-"

"Did you hear about Anko? Apparently she finally quit ANBU*,"

OOooOOooOO

**ONE YEAR LATER**

The Hokage had finally succumbed to old age.

He had become a meddling old man, just like Naruto had always claimed him to be.

He had finally approached the young boy on the idea that he should befriend the Haratsuchi sisters. Seeming to take it as a blow to his pride and ability to take care of himself- what was wrong with these kids and their pride?- he had refused to even talk to them. Naruto had shouted that he didn't need anyone other than himself and that he better believe it and then he had proceeded to march out of the room declaring himself the next Hokage.

So, naturally, Sarutobi had orchestrated a _coincidental _meeting to push the three unbelievably(_Believe it!_ an incredibly annoying voice in his head chimed) headstrong and independent children in the right direction of learning to depend on others.

The Third Hokage smiled dryly. Next thing he knew he'd be hosting bingo tournaments.

OOooOOooOO

"Where are we going?" Takara, now eight years old, asked quietly.

"Ichiraku's Ramen. I found a coupon on the ground for three bowls free but it expires today. I thought it could be a late birthday present since I didn't get you anything but you bought me that new hair clip,"

"Aww Koko, you're so sweet…"

"Yeah, sweet's the word," she snorted, turning down the street that led to the ramen shop…

…just in time to see a young boy of about six get shoved into the street by a random shopkeeper.

"Demon brat! No one wants you here! Why don't you just do everyone a favor and die?!" he yelled, tossing a mask the kid had been looking at onto the ground in disgust.

"I'm not a demon! And just you wait, I'm going to be Hokage someday, believe it!" the blonde kid yelled defiantly, his blue eyes determined.

"Koko, who was that?" her sister asked as the boy wearing an orange t-shirt ran away trying to hide the tears in his eyes.

"It doesn't matter, Takara. It's not our problem," Kokoro said, walking to the ramen shop and sitting down. "C'mon, aren't you hungry?"

"Yeah…" Takara said, sitting down next to her.

"Hello there girls, what can I get for you today?"

_Love. Parents. Friends. A reason to live._

"One bowl of pork ramen, please!" they chorused, innocent smiles on their faces.

_Kunai. A sensei. A team. A hitai-ate._

They weren't scared, helpless little girls who couldn't protect themselves anymore.

They were ninjas. They were ninjas and they were going to be the best Konoha had ever seen.

_Believe it._

**I'll have you know that this is over 3,400 words, WITHOUT the AN. Impressive, no? Yeah, so hopefully this clears up a lot about WHY Kokoro is the way she is and why both she and Naruto feel guilty. I just realized, after it was underlined in blue, that 'young boy' is a redundant expression. XD Who knew?**

***= Screw secrecy. Kakashi can know all if I want him to. XD **

**Hope you enjoyed, please review!**


	6. Chapter 6

**I just want to take a moment to appreciate all in the world who have computer troubles. **

**MAJOR EDIT COMPLETE**

**Disclaimer- I don't freaking own Naruto. At all. **

KOKORO: HEART, SOUL

Kokoro woke up to see trees flashing by her at an incredible speed, even for a ninja. Instantly alert, she tensed, only to relax when she recognized the unruly blonde hair and long hitai-ate.

"Naruto, why am I on your back and why didn't you wake me up at midnight?" she demanded calmly.

"What did you do?" he asked, his tone indiscernible.

"What are you talking about? And put me down!"

Complying, he dropped her and spun around, pinning her to a tree by her arms.

"What the-"

"Do you think I'm an idiot?" he wondered quietly. "Because I'm not. I know I act stupid sometimes, but I'm a ninja for a reason. Did you really think I wouldn't notice the signs of chakra exhaustion? Especially after working with Kakashi-sensei? You were barley able to walk back to your sleeping bag! Did you really think you could make me think you were fine by being social? That alone was enough to set off alarm bells! So I'll ask you one more time- what did you do?!" he looked up earnestly as he said this, concern marring his usually sunny features.

"It doesn't matter,"

"Doesn't matter? You've been out like a light for almost eighteen hours!"

"Well I'm fine now!"

"Yeah, now! Look whether you like it or not, I'm your teammate. And since I'm your teammate, anything _stupid_ you do affects me! Now tell me what you did!"

"Why do you even want to know?" she demanded. "It's not like you'd know what it was, and besides, we're not friends,"

"I want to know what to look out for if we get caught in another fight! If you _idiotically_ plan to use up all your chakra at once, I want to know! And it's not for you to decide if I think of you as a friend or not. I've known you for over twenty-four hours, therefore you're my friend. Deal with it,"

"Fine, you nosy loudmouth, I did a jutsu called 'Air Needles'. Happy? Now let me make something clear- _we are not friends_. I don't give a rat's ass about your opinion on the matter, we're not friends and never will be. Now put me down or I swear I'll cut off your arm..."

To her surprise, he didn't comply; he just stood there staring at her.

"What happened to your leg?"

"What? Naruto, let go of me!"

"You had a giant cut on your leg. It's gone now. _Where did it go_?"

"What the hell is wrong with you?! You're the one that gave me the medicine!"

"All that was supposed to do is kill the pain and keep it from being infected. The only one who could heal that fast is-"

"So I'm a fast healer! So what? Now, _let me go_,"

This time, he listened. Without a backwards glance Kokoro leapt past him, not willing to hear him complete his sentence for fear of what it would be.

For a moment Naruto only stared at her back, wondering what she was hiding. The only explanation he could think of-being a jinchuuriki too- was impossible. He was the only one in Konoha, that he knew for sure. So what was she? Mentally, he kicked himself. She was human, just like him. Even if she turned out to be a jinchuuriki as well, she was a person.

And a person, as long as it didn't endanger anyone else or the mission, was allowed to keep secrets.

But, if she ever wanted to talk, he would be there to listen.

OOooOOooOO

When they finally reached Shukuso they were back on semi-civil terms, mainly due to the fact that Naruto forgave someone ten minutes before they apologized and Kokoro found it strangely impossible to stay mad at him, not she liked him or anything. **[read reminder at the bottom]**

"Oi, Gin-me, is that the cottage we're supposed to meet our client at?"

"No, it's the other cottage on the east side of the city five miles from the woods,"

"But there isn't any other- oh..."

"How are you even a ninja?" she sighed, flicking the back of his head.

"What was that for?"

"Idiocy,"

"I'm not an idiot!"

"Of course not, you're a loudmouthed idiot. How could I have forgotten? Now zip it,"

"I'm not loudmouthed!"

"The prove it by shutting up,"

"What if i don't want to?"

"The I'll cut out your tongue and feed it to the clients,"

"...I'm really not sure how to respond to that,"

"I'm not either," a voice said, and they looked up from glaring at each other to see a man in his early twenties with messy red hair and slightly disturbed brown eyes standing in front of them.

"I'm so glad," Kokoro muttered. "Maybe now the loudmouth will shut up and the client will leave us alone,"

"Don't be rude, Gin-me!" Naruto admonished, elbowing his female teammate.

"…Did you just elbow me?"

"No?"

"Uzumaki!" she growled, unsheathing one of her blades.

Before Kokoro could inflict bodily harm on the blonde, the man chuckled, drawing all attention to him. Composing herself, Kokoro put away her weapon and turned to him. "Excuse us; we don't exactly… get along,"

"Really?" he asked, genuinely surprised. "You two act like siblings,"

"What?" Naruto yelped, looking at him incredulously. "She was just about to skewer me for _elbowing_ her!"

"Moving on," she grated out, "what is your name? Are you our client?"

"My name is Hitoshi Waracane and, unless you aren't the two Konoha ninjas hired to protect my little sister in her private school while I do business; I am your client,"

Instantly, Naruto had a kunai pointed at his throat. "Ah ha! Liar! We're protecting a girl going to private school while her _father_ does business! Who are you?" Naruto yelled, ignoring the what-the-heck-is-wrong-with-you look he was getting from both of them, the maybe-he-should-see-a-doctor glance Hitoshi sent Kokoro, and the it's-too-late-for-him eye roll directed at their client.

"Loudmouth, it's not exactly unusual for the oldest son to start taking over his father's duties when they get old enough,"

"The plan _was_ for my father to be here, but he got called to another business meeting that couldn't be moved,"

"Hmph," Naruto huffed, putting away his kunai.

"Idiot!" Kokoro exclaimed.

"Um, there _is_ one…complication," Hitoshi said hesitantly.

"Don't worry, Shi-Shi! We can handle anything, believe it!" the hyperactive blonde cheered, pumping his fist in the air enthusiastically.

Did-he-seriously-just-call-me-Shi-Shi and ha-I-feel-no-sympathy looks were exchanged.

"…I'm not even going to comment on that," he said, looking like he wanted to check Naruto for a fever. "The complication is that the school my sister, Kimi, is going to is an all-girls school and I think you could guard her better if you were attending the school,"

"Oh, is that all?" Naruto asked, an eerie glint in his eyes. "That's easily solved,"

A few hand signs and a shout later, a busty, naked, blonde girl stood in Naruto's place. Hitoshi and Kokoro just stared in shock, though to his credit, Hitoshi didn't even have a nosebleed.

Until Naruto winked seductively and cooed, "Hi there, Shi-Shi,"

"Ex-excuse me, but could y-you please turn ba-back," he stammered, looking everywhere but Naruto.

"But Shi-Shi, don't you like me?" Naruto said, the pout even evident in her voice.

"Naruto Uzumaki," Kokoro said dangerously.

Instantly, Naruto was back to normal, obviously rethinking his judgment. Why the heck had he done that in front of her after she nearly castrated Pervy Sage?

"That cup size was irrational to your body weight. And no girl has that small of a waist,"

Naruto blinked, then sighed and decided to channel Shikamaru.

"I will never understand you troublesome women,"

"Good, that would take the fun out of life,"

"What? That doesn't even-"

"Drop it, kid. Never try to understand them," Hitoshi advised.

"Well? When are we going to meet this Kimi girl?" Kokoro asked haughtily, furious that she had to act civil.

Man, she really hated Aunty Flow and her timing. **[couldn't resist. XD]**

OOooOOooOO

Kimi turned out to be quite annoying. At first glance, she looked to be a cute little angel- long red hair pulled back in pigtails, wide sapphire eyes, and adorable freckles. Just her appearance made Kokoro want to drop the mission and stalk back to Konoha leaving a trail of destruction in her wake.

Then she opened her mouth.

She was a brat, plain and simple. Everything she said included the words me, I, money, daddy, or want. On top of that, she seemed rather oblivious to her own repulsiveness, smiling widely and giggling at Naruto's 'funny spazzy-ness' which was really a tick mark and downright laughing at Kokoro's determinedly stoic expression.

"Shi-Shi?"_  
_

"...what?"

"Your sister is so cute!"

"What?" Kokoro hissed. "How the hell... weren't you just furious with her personality?"

"Haha... no, silly. She's... adorable," Naruto grated out, looking strained.

"If you're trying to spare Waracane's feelings, you're failing horrifically,"

"Really, Naruto. You're a horrible actor,"

"Oh? What is it, pick-on-Naruto day?"

"Can we make it? I'm sure Daddy could buy it for me!"

"I don't think your father's wealthy enough to buy a day," Kokoro deadpanned, glaring at the young girl.

"I would appreciate it, ninja, if you wouldn't glare at my sister,"

"I'd appreciate it, client, if you would control said sister so that I could do my job,"

"You need a job? Daddy would never hire you, you're too bossy and mean and have a giant stick up your ass,"

"...How old is this child?"

"Sadly, only ten. She was hanging around one of my more... liberal friends," Hitoshi winced.

"Will you _please _shut the hell up?!" Naruto shouted, banging his fist on the kitchen table that was the only piece of furniture in the cozy room.

Kokoro and Hitoshi broke off their conversation, Hitoshi looking horrified.

"Did you just tell me to shut up?" Kimi asked quietly.

"Yes! You're so annoying you're lucky I didn't punch you!"

"Naruto-"

"No, Hitoshi!" he yelled, cutting him off. "She needs to hear it! She's never going to make any friends or get anywhere in life if she doesn't learn to _shut up_!"

"He really shouldn't have done that..."

"For once, I agree with loudmouth. Your sister is a pain in the ass,"

"Hehe, _about_ that..." Hitoshi said, grinning and running the back of his head sheepishly.

"Don't tell me to shut up!" Kimi roared, attacking Naruto with as much force as a civilian ten year-old could.

"What the-"

"No one tells Kimi to shut up except Kato!" the girl yelled.

"Who's- ah! Get off of- hey!"

"Is there something you want to tell us, _Shi-Shi_?" Kokoro asked sweetly.

"Umm... We made a bet on how long it would take to get you two to snap if Kimi acted like a brat,"

Utter silence.

"Awww, Hitoshi! You ruined the fun!" Kimi whined, grinning as she detached herself from a confused Naruto.

"...Is there anyone here who's normal?"

"Wait...so this was all a prank?" Naruto asked slowly.

"Erm, yeah, pretty much," Hitoshi said nervously, obviously worried about the unpredictable ninja's reaction.

"_Awesome_!" he cheered.

Both Hitoshi and Kimi looked surprised, but both eventually grinned.

"Idiots. You are all idiots," Kokoro declared, looking like she was ready to impale someone.

It wasn't until a couple hours later, during dinner, that Kokoro realized she had dropped the cold façade she had worn for years, allowing some human emotions to show. Unnerved, she glanced at Konoha's number one, hyperactive, knuckle-headed ninja.

How the fuck had he done it?!

She was a ninja. Ninjas weren't supposed to have feelings. They weren't supposed to feel grief, pain, sadness, joy, and especially not love. They were tools, tools to be discarded once broken. All her life, Kokoro had obeyed that with the exception of her sister and team, and even those three people had left her weak. She had almost killed herself in guilt after their deaths, and it was only after remembering the fact that she was ninja and not a scared little girl that saved her life.

So why was it that now, after knowing him for only a few days, she wanted to smile every time she saw Naruto? Why did she, though she loathed to admit it, enjoy the friendly banter they fell into? Why wasn't she bothered by his ridiculous nickname? Why did she insist on giving him one? Why was she having so much trouble with fulfilling her role as a tool?_  
_

And why was she hesitant to stop doing all those things?

**Yeah, so maybe this chappie was rushed. Oh well. I just want to point out, in case you think Koko's OOC, that her personality is more humorus and sarcastic in a good [possible?] way and she's been hiding it because ninjas aren't supposed to have emotions. Even though that's mostly ignored in our beloved Konoha. XD And why Kokoro is able to heal so fast will be revealed in _ amount of chappies. Helpful? I'm so glad. Let's see... ummm... oh yeah! **

**REMINDER- They will be like brother and sister. Even if Koko [briefly] falls for him, they will never be a couple. I already have someone else in mind for Koko, and it's not Naruto OR Shika. ;D**

**Review, please! And feel free to criticize and hate and send long flames! I really don't care! :D **

******EDIT-****The seventh [+] chappie[s] is [are] currently ****unedited. I will take this down when it no longer applies, but until then be warned. Anything you read from this point on can and probably will be changed! I don't know if it will be major plot twisting or just rephrasing, but all the same, look out. :D**


	7. Chapter 7

**MAJOR EDIT COMPLETE**

**:D Enjoy this horrible chappie.**

**Disclaimer: I. OWN. NOTHING.**

KOKORO: SOUL, HEART

Kokoro was scared; she had never felt so exposed before. Her defenses were down and she was making friends- _friends_- with someone she was supposed to be working with, something she definitely wasn't used to. It had taken almost a whole, sleepless, night to finally decide on what she was going to do, but now that she had made her decision she was sticking to it. Again.

Those walls would be rebuilt if it killed her. Bonds made someone weak, something she couldn't afford. Even though it would hurt a little, Kokoro knew that it would save her a lot of pain in the long run- she had learned that much from her pitiful life. She was going to push Naruto Uzumaki away, make him hate her, make him wish he had never met her, and make him eager to finish this mission.

She already, deep inside her, knew it was futile. The boy just wouldn't catch on- no matter what she did, he always came prancing back like a lost puppy. It would take nothing less of her completely betraying everything he believed in to shake him off and unfortunately, that was a line she was _not _willing to cross. Still, she would try.

She would keep on trying until she was incapable of doing so.

OOooOOooOO

"But I wanna-"

"No,"

"Please-"

"No,"

"But-"

"No,"

"Come on-"

"_Say one more word and I will stab you," _she growled, already annoyed that, in order to blend in, she would have to wear the school's uniform. And that she couldn't bring herself to revert back to her old, hurtful self.

"You're just mad that you have to wear a skirt," he mumbled, barley dodging the kunai that was chucked at his face. "Oi! No need to get violent!"

"No need to be an annoying loudmouth!"

"Hey! I don't know what your problem is-"

"C'mon. This is a mission, not a vacation. We need to prepare,"

"Uh...okay?"

After talking to Hitoshi, they found out that there had been a kidnapping attempt two months before and that the only reason it hadn't succeeded was that a Konoha ninja happened to see the attempt and thwart it. After that incident, Hitoshi, playing the overprotective brother, managed to convince their father to hire two guards to accompany Kimi to school since she would be alone and the (attempted) kidnappers were not caught. Since their father wasn't specific on the gender of the ninjas-probably because he didn't even want them in the first place- Hitoshi was stuck between ordering Naruto to henge into a (clothed) girl or having him perform guard duty and stay outside the school.

In the end, Hitoshi, with some… _help_ from Kokoro, decided to have him stay outside, something that depressed Naruto greatly until Kimi pointed out that at least he didn't have to sit in a classroom learning about how to be a lady for three weeks.

That night, Hitoshi informed them that he would be leaving early in the morning to go to the business meetings and would not be back until the three weeks were up other than a few random visits. It took nothing short of a full on spar between Kokoro and Naruto (the latter's pride becoming sorely bruised as a result), but he finally became comfortable with the idea of leaving his beloved little sister in the hands of two ninjas even younger then himself. It seemed that after interacting with them Hitoshi realized that despite being ninjas, they were normal people.

That only strengthened Kokoro's resolve to kill all emotions.

The next morning, Kimi, Kokoro (henged into her ten year-old self), and Naruto set off towards the school, Kokoro snapping at the others to hurry up. When they finally arrived Naruto hid in the surrounding trees, winking at the two females dressed in pink shirts and skirts and testing Kokoro's level of self-control.

Once inside, both girls were pounced upon by a strict elderly women wearing evil-looking long skirts and a harsh smile.

"Hello there, you will address me as Mrs. Eiko. I will be your teacher and I expect nothing less than perfection from you, Miss Waracane, and your friend, Miss...?"

"Kokoro,"

"Your last name, dear,"

"Oh, sorry!" she giggled, already hating the woman. "Kokoro Hayashi, nice to meet you!" **[made up last name for the mission]**

"Hayashi? I haven't heard of you..."

"That's because 'Ro's from-"

"Miss Waracane, nicknames are not permitted. You will address your peers as 'Miss' and use their last names only. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes m'am,"

"Yes, Mrs. Eiko," she corrected.

"Yes, Mrs. Eiko," the two girls chorused.

They could already tell it was going to be a long three weeks.

OOooOOooOO

**DAY ONE**

"Miss Hayashi, what is the correct response if a nobleman asks you to dance?" Mrs. Eiko asked, turning around from the chalk board to face the group of ten year-olds.

"It would be my pleasure," Kokoro said immediately, shooting off the first thing that came to her mind. If Kimi's wince was anything to go by, she was wrong.

"Incorrect. 'It would be my honor, Lord...' is the correct answer. Have you been paying attention at all to today's lesson?"

"I apologize for my ignorance, Mrs. Eiko," she muttered, looking down in feigned submission to hide her glare. Who the hell cared about this shit? She was a kunoichi, it didn't matter if she knew how to speak to a nobleman!

"A lady does not mumble, Miss Hayashi. Also, from now on you will stand up and curtsey before you give your answer. Do I make myself clear? You and Miss Waracane will stay after class today for an hour,"

"I understand, Mrs. Eiko. If I may ask a question?" she asked, biting the inside of her cheek.

"You may,"

"I get why I should stay after, but Miss Waracane has done nothing wrong. Why should she be punished for my... mistakes?"

"As a lady, it is Miss Waracane's duty to be responsible for her guests. You, Miss Hayashi, are her guest. Anything you do reflects badly on her, thus her punishment. Now, if you have no further questions..." she trailed off, continuing her lesson.

Every girl in the classroom gave her sympathetic looks; they too had been on the receiving end of Mrs. Eiko's wrath.

OOooOOooOO

Once they returned to the place Kimi and her brother were staying at, Naruto began teasing both females about their etiquette, resulting in the silent treatment. Even though Kokoro felt slightly above it, she found that it was enjoyable to watch Naruto go crazy- and, of course, it helped her get used to being ten again. The mission was most important, the mission was all that mattered, everything had to help the mission.

Which reminded Kokoro of something.

"Kimi, why do you have to go to school for three weeks? It's pointless,"

"Actually..." she said, a frown marring her features."I'm not really sure. I thought it would be pointless too, until I heard it was a 'lady's' school,"

"Huh? What do you mean?" Naruto asked, looking up from sulking.

Silence.

"Kimi, this has to do with the mission. We can continue to ignore him when you finish,"

"Hmph. Fine,"

"Thank you, Gin-me! I'll never forget-"

"Shut it,"

"Fine," he grumbled.

"Anyway, for the longest time my father has wanted me to be more... ladylike. Apparently, I'm too rowdy and loud and open and nice. He was going to send me away last year, but Hitoshi managed to get him to change his mind. I was confused; my father doesn't change his mind for anyone or anything unless it helps business. And with Hitoshi, it's even worse- he hates Father. He swore he would never work under him or have anything to do with him ever again,"

"Then why-"

"Shut it, loudmouth!"

"When I was born, Hitoshi was horrified. Apparently things were much worse back then and Father tolerated very little. My mother died giving birth to me and that only made my father bitter. Afraid he might do something rash, Hitoshi made a deal- he would assist our father with business as long as he was allowed to care for me. When I turned nine, however, Father decided it wasn't enough. He wanted me to be a good business woman, something that Hitoshi was completely against. He was afraid I'd be turned into a 'calculating, cruel, apathetic machine' and so he made yet another deal with my father,"

"He didn't..." Naruto breathed, horrified.

"In order to keep me from whatever school he was going to send me to, Hitoshi promised to take over after Father, which was, of course, what he had planned all along. Despite his best efforts, however, Father retained the right to send me to school for a period of time up to one month,"

The whole time she was explaining, Kimi was more like an adult than a bubbly ten year-old.

It made Kokoro feel sick to her stomach.

Kimi, sweet little Kimi, wasn't a ninja. She shouldn't be forced to act older than she was, she shouldn't be carrying such burdens, and she shouldn't be sitting there calmly without any emotions. She should be crying, raging that it wasn't fair, begging her brother to stop making sacrifices for her, and trying to think of ways to run away.

"I'm so sorry," Naruto whispered.

"Don't be. It's business,"

And she shouldn't be saying that.

OOooOOooOO

The next day, Hitoshi stopped by, smiling and joking and trying to get a reaction from Kokoro who was steadily becoming more introverted.

It made her wonder how he was so happy.

His life was awful and he had to give up everything to help his little sister, no, scratch that, he _chose_ to give up everything. He was being forced to do a job he hated and helplessly watch as Kimi was slowly introduced to how to be a 'lady'.

Strangely, it reminded her of Naruto.

After Hitoshi left, Kimi smiled a bit more and complained about classes much less, proving just how much she loved her brother.

OOooOOooOO

**DAY FOURTEEN**

"Miss Hayashi, you are supposed to let Miss Waracane lead. What if she was a nobleman?"

"Then I'd be insulting his manliness and he should suck it up," she snapped, fed up.

"Detention, Miss Waracane and Hayashi!" Mrs. Eiko gasped, appalled. "I am disappointed in both of you! The longest you have gone without detention is two days; disgraceful!"

OOooOOooOO

"This would be so much easier if we could just tell her you're a goddamned ninja!" Kimi roared once they got back 'home'.

"Language, Miss Waracane!" Naruto snickered, barley managing to dodge Kokoro's fist and tripping over a tree root in the process. "Stupid nature. Why does Shukuso have to be so spring-y?"

"Because it does. And watch it because next time you impersonate Mrs. Asshole I'm gonna help Koko!"

It took Kimi a few seconds to realize Kokoro had stopped walking.

"Huh? What's wrong?"

"Er... Kimi? Don't call her that. Just stick to 'Ro, kay?"

"Why?"

"Because the only person who called me that was killed about a month ago. Don't ever say that again," she said darkly, pushing past the other two and walking quickly out of their sight.

"I didn't mean- is she going to be okay?" Kimi whispered.

"Yeah, she'll be fine. Don't worry about it, I made the same mistake,"

"Who- who used to call her that?"

"I just met her two and a half weeks ago, but I think... I think it was her twin sister," Naruto said sadly, causing Kimi to gasp in horror.

"That's terrible! Her sister? We have to go find her-"

"No. Let her cool down. Gin-me's a big girl, she can take care of herself,"

OOooOOooOO

Somehow, Kokoro had made her way to the center of the city. It was comforting, seeing all the people that inhabited the wealthy town bustling around without a care in the world. Refreshing too. It reminded her of when she was younger, and not in the painful way like Konoha. Back in the village, there were just too many memories. She could look at a _pole _and think of five different instances in which Takara and she had laughed around it. A simple walk made her want to tear out her heart.

So it was refreshing to look around and see nothing familiar.

The high-end clothing store was just a store, the paved sidewalks were only a way to move around, the stands that attracted tourists were mysteries, and the people swarming around them just the same.

Kokoro couldn't stop the sigh of contentment from escaping her.

"Maa, what are you looking so happy about?"

Whirling around, she saw a man with gravity-defying silver hair and a black mask that covered everything from the nose down. His Konoha hitai-ate was tilted at an angle that covered his left eye.

Even if she hadn't remembered the voice and demeanor, the strange eye-smile would have given him away in a heartbeat.

"Kakashi Hatake," she said evenly, attempting to hide her shock.

"Kokoro Harastuchi. You look almost the same. Seriously. You haven't changed at all,"

"It's called a henge, you moron," she huffed, poofing back into her normal self and clothing.

"Ah, there's the beautiful young lady I knew you'd grow into,"

"That's really creepy, you know that, right? What are you even doing here?"

She didn't want to see him. The last time they had talked was on a mission two years ago and it ended with them both in the hospital for two days. Well, it was supposed to be a week, but the hospital was so dreary...

"I'm on my way back from a mission and decided to stop by for a quick meal. But that's not important. How about we go out to lunch for a chat, for old time's sake?"

"Pedofile," she mumbled, but followed him nonetheless.

OOooOOooOO

"So, what did you really want to talk about?" she asked, taking a sip of her tea and glancing around the quaint shop they were currently sitting in.

"Blunt as always, eh Koko?"

"Don't call me that,"

"Would you prefer Miss Hayashi?"

"What are you, a stalker?"

"Something like that. Listen, Kokoro," Kakashi suddenly grew serious, leaning forward and peering intently into her eyes. "I heard about Takara,"

"I see. And now you're here to-"

"I'm not here to do anything but tell you to stop blaming yourself. No matter what you tell yourself, it wasn't your fault. In any case, Takara would beat the living daylights out of you if she saw you like this. I can see what you're doing to yourself and you need to stop,"

"I don't know what you-"

"Ninjas aren't only tools, Kokoro. They're people too,"

OOooOOooOO

**DAY EIGHTEEN**

When something finally happened, it was in the middle of the day, during lunch. Kokoro was sitting in amiable silence with Kimi, ninja senses tingling.

"Be prepared,"

"Huh? Why? Is something happening?" the girl asked, growing pale.

"No, just be on your guard. I'm getting uneasy and that usually means something is about to happen,"

"But-"

"Constant vigilance,"

"O-okay..." Kimi said slowly, looking very confused.

Seconds later, the window a couple feet away from them imploded inward.

"Where is Kimi Waracane?" a male voice demanded, and everyone in the class froze.

"She's right here," Kokoro sang sweetly, still in her ten year-old form.

When the man made to move towards her charge, however, he was stopped by a sword point pressed against his chest.

"Wh-what-"

"Hi there, mister. Wanna play a game?"

Kokoro almost laughed as the man's face blanched and he stuttered, "Nin-ninja? No one sa-said anything about nin-ninja!"

What could she say? All ninja are at least a _little_ sadistic.

OOooOOooOO

When it was finally time to leave, Naruto was a little put off that he didn't get any action. That was soon placated when Hitoshi attempted murder for him letting the 'bad guy' anywhere near his 'darling Kimi' and that he better learn to 'be more ninja-y if he wanted money for his damned village'.

In the end, Hitoshi (somewhat) forgave him and Kimi thanked Naruto for the entertainment. Kokoro only nodded before setting off back home, resigned to listen to Naruto's bitching about 'throwing him to the rabid Shi-Shi' for the next few days.

Nothing eventful happened until the second day, and, when it did, it came in the form of a creepy man with a pumpkin mask and an obsession with being a good boy.

**Okay, before you all kill me for rushing through the whole mission, I have a couple of things to say.**

**1) I didn't feel like writing three weeks of a pointless mission. Laziness, I know. There's a reason my favorite character is Shika.**

**2) The mission is not really important. The main thing is Kokoro starting to doubt her 'kill-all-emotions' attitude and for her to start showing some actual personality, though I know her issues aren't anywhere near as bad as Sai's. Who will be in the story cuz he's awesome.**

**3) I know Tobi doesn't come in until later, but this is fanfic so screw it. ^.^**

**4) I love Kakashi; he's my favorite character. Am I the only one who can see him popping up and practically knowing everything that had happened? He seems that kind of guy... **


	8. Chapter 8

**Hullo, new chappie ahoy! **

**So...um... I feel awful about this... But I have a really bad memory! I'm so sorry I haven't done this yet!**

**Shout-out to mg4of6 for reviewing all the time! It makes me all warm and fuzzy when my phone buzzes and tells me I have a new review. NOW BASK IN THE GLORY!**

**Kay, carry on. Oh, and this chappie starts around 6pm on the first day of travelling. The last line of the previous chappie was a piece of very not-subtle foreshadowing.  
**

**Oh, and Kakashi and Koko's little chat will be brought up/fully explained later.**

**MAJOR EDIT COMPLETE**

**KOKORO: SOUL, HEART**

"Gin-me, wait up!" Naruto yelled as Kokoro raced ahead without looking back. "We need to stop for the night! Gin-me! _Gin-me_! Dammit, _Kokoro_!"

"What?" she hissed, whirling around to face him as he approached. "What do you need? If we hurry up we can get back to the village in two days, hand in our mission report, and go on our merry little ways. Or are you saying you _want_ to spend the next three days camping in the woods?"

God, Kokoro could barely stand to look into his eyes, but she would if it made him shut up.

"I'm _saying_ that if we keep going at this pace, one of us will collapse! We haven't taken more than a couple five-minute breaks all day! Why don't we just camp here for the night?"

"If we hurry up, we can get back faster! Don't you have friends to piss off?"

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Naruto demanded, glaring daggers at his teammate. "So what if it takes three days?"

"I don't want to stay out here for three unnecessary days when I could be back in the village taking missions that would actually _help_ Konoha!"

"You'll be no use to Konoha half dead from exhaustion!"

"…Let's keep moving,"

"What?" Naruto shrieked, grabbing Kokoro's arm in an attempted to understand. "That doesn't even make sense! What's wrong? Are you afraid of the woods or something?"

"_Don't touch me_," she growled, ripping her arm out of his grip. "And why the actual _fuck_ would I be afraid of the woods?"

"I don't know! If you're not, then what _are_ you afraid of?"

"Who said I was afraid?"

"You, dammit! You may not have said it with your words, but I can see it in your eyes! I won't pretend to understand you or even know you, but I can tell when someone's afraid! You're afraid, and I want to know-"

"It's you, dammit!" Kokoro finally exploded, cutting him off.

"Huh?"

"Yeah, you! Ever since I met you, I've been acting like a stupid civilian brat! I've bickered back and forth with you, laughed, smiled, _felt emotions I've been trying to kill for years_, and actually made an effort to make friends!"

"So… in short… you've been acting like a human being…"

"No, you idiot! I've been acting like a person! Ninjas aren't supposed to have feelings; they're not supposed to feel! I'm supposed to just be a tool, dam*it! And somehow, don't even ask me how, _you_, a random kid I just met, have completely destroyed everything I've spent my whole life trying to hide!"

Kokoro didn't even sense Naruto moving until his fist collided with her jaw.

"_Dammit all_," he whispered. "All this time, I knew something was up. But seriously, _what is with everyone and their 'ninjas are tools' attitude_?!"

"What-"

"You're not a tool!" he roared, grabbing her shirt and pushing her up against a tree. "You _are_ a person, you _are _supposed to feel, you _are _supposed to make friends, and you _are not_ just a tool! All being a ninja changes is missions. You have missions you're supposed to complete and people you're supposed to protect. What part of that do you get 'tool to be broken' from? I know about the rules in the academy, how ninjas aren't supposed to show emotions. But that's for when you're a stupid kid _ruled_ by those emotions! Are you saying you can't control them? That you can't use them to your advantage? Because I think you can! I won't say I know what happened when you were a kid, but I do know that it was something that made you and your sister all alone. I apologize for that. I know what it's like to be alone. But that no reason to _throw_ your _life_ away! Stop trying to shut people out, dam*it! Let people try to help! Let _me_ help!" the last sentence came out as a hoarse whisper. "I have tried and tried and _tried_ to break through your stupid walls, but I can't. Please, _for the love of god_, let me in! Kokoro, _you have to let me help_!"

For the next thirty seconds, Kokoro only stared at him in shock. Then…

"Damn loudmouth,"

…she burst into tears a sobbed into his chest.

Screw it. Screw it all. She had tried _so _hard to be a good ninja, one with only enough human qualities to get the job done. Through the past three weeks especially she had tried, but Naruto had always snapped her back.

Naruto.

It all boiled down to him.

What was it about him? No matter how much she tried to push him away, he never resented or hated her. The boy was like some stupid alien; one who didn't know how to reject another human being.

In retrospect, that was probably where she went wrong. If she had just revealed the truth, the _whole _truth, then maybe he would have abandoned her sooner.

She wasn't just 'another human being'. She usually didn't even think of herself as human at all. She was a monster, inside even more than out.

Maybe it wasn't too late.

She had one last ditch effort in her before she succumbed to her emotions completely.

OOooOOooOO

That night, for the first time, Kokoro opened up and told someone about her past.

Naruto, to his credit, was a very good listener, only interrupting with a few questions and not spouting the usual oh-you-poor-girl crap

She told him how her father had killed her family, how she and Takara had been kicked out of their clan, how they had refused to become friends with Naruto himself, and how, in the end, Kokoro had been forced to murder her own team. At the end of her, admittedly long, tale there was only one question she couldn't bear to answer, and deep down she hoped in vain that he wouldn't ask it. If she didn't answer, he wouldn't hate her and she craved the affection even more than ever now.

"Kokoro... what exactly did the jutsu your father used on you do?"

No... She wasn't ready yet. No one, not even Naruto, could know what her bastard of a father did to her. He would reject her of he knew, he would reject and hurt her just like her clan. She couldn't shatter the illusion that everything would be alright, that he would never abandon her, that they would remain friends, that even if he did know he would _accept_ her.

"That's the one thing I'm still not comfortable telling,"

And really, Naruto couldn't argue with that. She wasn't the one hiding a Nine Tailed Demon Fox in her gut, now was she?

OOooOOooOO

The next day neither really acknowledged the previous night, both going back to their original antics and insults.

The only major difference was that Kokoro had completely given up on her walls, leaving Naruto to dance and whoop in the rubble.

At first though, she had been slightly confused and scared, however much she hated to admit it, and Kokoro worried that, despite Naruto's faith in her, her emotions would control her. What would happen to Naruto, or any other person on her team, if she suddenly got pissed off or scared or sad or reckless or any other strong feeling under the sun? Was it truly worth it in the long run? What if someone got hurt?

But then, in the middle of breakfast and her private questionnaire, she came up with a rather eloquent answer that solved all the questions racing around her overly-active ninja brain.

Eh, what the hell?

OOooOOooOO

It was only minutes after lunch that Kokoro started to get the feeling that caused hyperactive ninjas to almost impale the oddest things- whether it be rabbits or tree trunks or even a comrade- and she immediately stopped and looked over her shoulder.

She really hated being watched.

"Who's there?" Naruto asked, stopping as well.

"If I knew do you think I'd be standing here gaping like an idiot into open space?"

"Well ex-c_use_ me!"

Before she could reply, both were faced by the sudden appearance of an oddly dressed man.

Kokoro saw a creep with a pumpkin mask and a stupid cloak.

Naruto saw a mysterious mask, no doubt hiding some hideous scar, and a black cloak. Covered in red clouds. An Akatsuki cloak. Covering an Akatsuki member.

Crap.

"Oooooh, it's a jinchuuriki! Maybe now I can be useful! But what if Deidara wants him? Or Itachi? Or Kisame? Wait, he's with Itachi. What if they think I'm a bad boy? No! Tobi is a good boy, he promises!"

Despite the fact that the man was obviously a lunatic, Naruto still tensed. If he was even half as powerful as Itachi and that shark guy-Kisame? - then there's no way even Kokoro, a Chunin, could handle him.

"Do _you_ think Tobi is a good boy?"

"If by good you mean creepy and crazy then yes, Tobi is a very good boy,"

"Yay!" Tobi cheered, doing a strange dance on a tree branch. "Tobi _knew_ he was a good boy! Thank you, girl with pointy swords! Tobi wishes to hug you, but he thinks that would be confusing because you're with the jinchuur-"

"…"

"…"

"Did he seriously just dance off the branch?"

"Kokoro, he's an Akatsuki member,"

"You mean-"

"We have to get out of here, _now_!" he exclaimed, trying to push on her the importance of putting as much distance as possible between themselves and Tobi.

Instantly, Kokoro switched from 'slightly amused' to 'calm panic' mode, turning tail and running as fast as she could, Naruto's arm clenched in her fist. The Hokage had warned everyone, even the Genin, about the Akatsuki. They were a collection of S-class missing ninjas from various villages and were previously affiliated with Orochimaru. If anyone saw them, they were ordered to flee immediately, damn their pride.

"I can run on my own!"

"Then do it! And shut up, we can't let him find us! Dammit, we're too far from the village…"

"There's no way we can outrun him!"

"Shut up!" she yelled, biting her thumb and slamming it on the nearest tree. "Summoning Jutsu!"

"Do you need something, 'Ro?"

"Now isn't the time, Isamu! Go to the village and tell them we're being tracked by an Akatsuki member! Now!"

"On it,"

At any other time Naruto would've been rolling on the ground in mirth at the irony, but given the circumstances, the small red fox with a green bracelet-looking-thing on his front left paw wasn't that amusing.

"Isamu may be my fastest runner, but there's no way even he could-"

"Why is the sword-girl and jinchuuriki running?"

Both froze, Kokoro getting a horrible feeling in the bottom of her stomach.

How did Tobi manage to get in _front_ of them?

"Surely they aren't under the impression that they're _both_ important,"

Kokoro's heart thudded horribly in her chest. For just that one sentence, Tobi's voice was darker, deeper, and ten million times more dangerous.

Wait a minute...

Both important?

But that meant that he was interested in one of them, and if any of his 'nicknames' were to go by she'd bet her money on...

Naruto.

Oh _fuck_ no.

She had no idea what a jinchuuriki was, but she would _date_ Gai, Tsnuade would _stop_ drinking, and Sasuke Uchiha would come _prancing_ back in full out _drag_ before she let this creep touch Naruto. He was _hers_, no one could touch him unless _she _said so.

He belonged to her.

**Are you going to let this freak lay his hands on your property?**

"Gin-me?"

_No. Mine. Naruto is mine._

Ignoring him completely, Kokoro crouched in front of Naruto protectively, feeling something stir up inside of her that hadn't been messed with in years.

"Don't touch him, you creepy little bastard!" she yelled hoarsely.

And then she _growled_.

OOooOOooOO

Honestly, Naruto was more worried about Kokoro then himself. It was obvious Tobi was more interested in him (or the Nine Tails, same difference) and he hoped Kokoro would have the sense to run and not look back if it came down to a fight. She was no match for the Akatsuki, and for that matter, neither was he, but he wasn't going to ask someone to give their life for him and especially not if they didn't even _know_ why he was being targeted. If anything, maybe she could get out safely- this wasn't her problem anyways.

And then she stiffened, pushed herself in front of him, and began to growl.

Something was off.

He wasn't quite sure what it was; only that something was strangely and worryingly and obviously _wrong_.

Kokoro's chakra.

Her chakra was different.

A bit late, Naruto remembered his earlier suspicions about Kokoro being a fellow jinchuuriki, but he immediately dismissed it once again. Despite the fact that he couldn't shake the feeling that it was just _wrong_ there was also her lack of a possession mark. He had his whiskers, Gaara had his weird eyeliner-supposedly-insomniac marks, and the others their... Other marks. That showed possession.

Meh, it didn't matter; Kokoro was completely normal.

"Naruto, go back to the village," she commanded with an oddly strained voice, turning her head to look at him as she did so.

Her eyes. Holy shit, her eyes.

Her exotic, beautiful silver green-flecked eyes were gone, replaced with dimly glowing green ones.

Even Tobi looked a little taken aback, if one could read expressions through a mask.

And then the _plants_ started to go haywire. Vine looking things were shooting up from the ground, some normal and some covered in thorns. Oddly though, the trees weren't moving.

Naruto was now fairly sure that even if Kokoro wasn't a jinchuuriki, she was something very, _very_ close to it, and that she had her father to blame.

"Stay away, you bastard!"

"Pointy swords girl? Do you have a headache?"

Silence. Naruto was pretty sure that was not the wisest thing to say.

"I don't… have a… freaking… _headache_!" she screamed, apparently losing all control. About five of the vines shot towards Tobi, but somehow none of them landed. Undeterred, Kokoro just sent more and more his way, growling even more ferociously as each one missed its mark.

"Kokoro-"

"What did I tell you?" she interrupted, turning again to face him with angry, glowing, _green _eyes. "Run. Now!" Her voice was now barley hers and he noticed the thick branch she was standing on beginning to splinter.

"I'm not going to just leave-"

"I'm. Not. _Asking. _You!" she whispered dangerously, and turned again to Tobi.

For the first time, and maybe it was seeing the green vine-like tattoo crawling up the previously unmarred arm, Naruto became fully aware that this… _thing_ was taking over Kokoro.

"Go back to hell, Mr. _Good boy_!" she shrieked, countless thorn-covered vines speeding towards Tobi.

Naruto was reminded of Gaara's Sand Coffin or Burial or Tsunami or whatever he called it.

Panting, Kokoro paused and waited for Tobi to crawl out of the mess.

He didn't.

He was gone.

"Cowardly bastard!" she howled, looking like she was about to chase after him.

"Kokoro! Don't! Gin-me! Stop, you can't! He'll kill you!"

She wasn't listening.

"Koko!" he yelled.

He halfway expected her to go berserk on him and attack him with the vines. He fully expected her to be mad though; she had clearly told him that calling her 'Koko' was off limits.

He did _not_ expect her to turn slowly towards him, mostly-silver-eyes wide with horror, and whisper "Holy shit," before collapsing off the weakened branch. Naruto was unable to catch her in time and winced at the sickening thump that resulted.

She was gonna be _really _pissed when she woke up.

He wasn't sure how reassuring it was that she obviously had no control over her actions.

**Oh noes, what's going on with our dear Koko? Guess you'll have to wait to find out. *cue evil laughter***

**Anyway, what do you, my loyal seven peeps-who-are-now-going-to-review, think about me making... nah, I'll ask this once it gets closer to the end. *smirk***

**I hope Tobi wasn't TOO OOC, I don't have a lot of expirience with him. **

**Thanks, once again, mg4of6 for reviewing! Though maybe some more criticism...? *shamlessly begging***

**Bye, see you when I get around to it! :D**

******EDIT ********COMPLETE**


	9. Chapter 9

**This is shorter than usual, sorry! Blame writers' block and laziness and Bleach! ^.^ I'm now on episode 168! Heheh...**

**Disclaimer- Nope. I don't think I even own Koko. o.O I didn't sign papers. But please don't steal her! She's _my_ Koko!**

**Kokoro- "Call me that and you'll die. And I do not belong to anyone!"**

**ShikaNaru- "So hurtful...so hurtful..."**

****WARNING: THE EXPLANATIONS IN THIS CHAPPIE SUCK! Really, looking back on them, they're horrible. I'll add in some humor regarding Koko's around chappie 15. I honestly wouldn't blame you if you dropped this fic cuz of them. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!****

**MAJOR EDIT COMPLETE**

**KOKORO: SOUL, HEART**

Tsunade wasn't one to meddle in things that didn't concern her, but at the same time she hated the broken ninja that so often returned from missions. It didn't help that she was the one to send them on the missions that shattered their minds either. Still, she tried not to mess with them. She couldn't afford to give a certain few special treatment and it's not like it affected their performance. That being said, she took one look into Kokoro Haratsuchi's eyes and knew immediately that the kid was more broken than some of the poor souls in ANBU, and after reading her file she understood why. Obviously she had been a fragile pane of glass, and after being forced to kill her only anchor she shattered. The gambling Hokage had no idea how to fix her up again and so she called the one and only master of therapy jutsu- aka, beating the sense back into someone (literally in most cases)- Naruto Uzamaki.

Luckily, the master had just returned and so Tsunade set him up, ahem, coincidentally assigned him a random and semi-pointless three week long mission, with Kokoro.

But, since she never got lucky and bad things happened when she did, she was wary.

What was going to go wrong?

Of course she was pondering the issue when a thoroughly horrified looking girl and thoughtful boy entered her office slowly. Looking up, she nearly choked on the gulp of sake she had just taken.

_Naruto_ was looking _thoughtful_.

Dear god, the apocalypse had begun.

OOooOOooOO

"So you're telling me that this Tobi, a member of the Akatsuki and therefore most likely insanely powerful, _ran away_ from a jinchuuriki, the very thing they're after, and a Chunin with apparent anger management issues and overprotective tendencies?"

"Eh, yeah, more or less," Naruto said, avoiding Tsunade's eyes.

Silence.

"Bullshit. Now tell me what really happened before I-"

"But that is-"

"Don't interrupt me, brat! You're leaving something out; I'm not an idiot!"

"Lady Hokage," Kokoro said softly, effectively drawing attention to herself. "That's technically what happened,"

"Technically?" Tsunade asked harshly, causing her to wince.

"…"

"…"

"One of you tell me what happened, or so help me-oh," suddenly her voice got a lot gentler. "So you used it,"

"Yes, Lady Hokage, I did. It wasn't intentional and I apologize. Whatever punishment you see fit, I will readily accept-"

"Oh for the love of- be quiet!" Tsunade yelled, glaring at an astonished Kokoro. "Punishment? Why would I punish you? You managed to catch the Akatsuki off guard and protect Konoha's jinchuuriki and number one, hyperactive, knuckle-headed ninja! And you managed to control yourself-"

"Not really," she muttered.

"Did you say something? No? Good. As I was saying, you did well. You may not be able to boss her around yet, but this is the first time in ten years you've even established any sort of contact, correct?" the Hokage paused, allowing Kokoro to nod dazedly. "So good job. Maybe in the future you can use her at will,"

Kokoro's eyes widened dramatically.

"What? No! I'm never going to use her again! Lady Hokage, do you know how that could end? It would be-"

"What the _hell_ are you two talking about?" Naruto burst, looking between the women. Kokoro paled, glancing pleadingly at Tsunade. When she wasn't any help, she tried desperately to change the subject.

"Well… what's a jinchuuriki?"

"Hey, I asked first!"

"So? I'm your superior! Answer me!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"I don't have to tell you anything!"

"Considering you put my life in danger, I think I have the right to know _why_ they were after you!"

"I'm pretty sure you put my life in danger too when you almost went after him!"

"What? I told you to run back to the village! It's not my fault you didn't listen!"

"You're just lucky I called you 'Koko' or you'd be dead!"

"Something we _still_ haven't talked about…" Kokoro said with an evil glint in her eyes.

"You owe me!"

"Do not! You caused the whole situation!"

"Oh, what's this I found? I long list of D-ranks?" Tsunade asked innocently, inwardly reveling at the speed that they quieted down. "Now, Kokoro, you're going to tell Naruto. After she's done, you're going to tell her what a jinchuuriki is. Deal? Good. Begin," she said, clasping her hands in front of her and ignoring the betrayed and dismayed looks she was receiving.

"You know most of the story. My dad killed my mom, brother, and older sister before kidnapping me at performing a jutsu on me. In actuality, he sealed a… well… a nature spirit of sorts into me. Don't look at me like that. Stationed at each point of the village- north, south, east, and west- there are one of these spirits. When my father was saved by one he became obsessed. The ANBU was dragged in on the order of the Third Hokage to assist him in his research and long story short, spirit north and west had an affair and spirit northwest was born. Utterly fascinated with the young spirit (the others were thousands of years old) he tried to make a deal with the others. If he could find a suitable companion, they would allow her to socialize or something- I'm not really sure. Over the course of two years, unknown to the ANBU, he exposed my whole family to small amounts of her chakra. I got sick the least, so my father assumed I was most compatible. The other spirits, however, disagreed and refused to let my father even see their daughter again. This prompted him to lose his mind, or maybe he was already long gone, and do the things he did. The jutsu- he forced-"

"Gin-me..."

"The spirit, Midori, was sealed into me," she whispered, looking like she wanted to bolt out of the room. "Of course, with my luck, Midori is somewhat of a rebel and enjoys fighting and pain and has no good emotions from my very few and very brief encounters with her. When I was saved by Kakashi Hatake, yes, the irony of the world, he was too late to prevent the sealing. My ex-clan, worried for their safety, kicked me out, offering to let Takara stay. She refused and the rest is history,"

Tsunade looked at Kokoro sympathetically before snapping at Naruto, "Brat! Your turn!"

"Um, but-"

"No buts!"

"I'm a little confused about-"

"You can ask her questions on you own time! Explain your story, now!"

"Fine," he grumbled. "A jinchuuriki is someone who contains one of the nine tailed-beasts inside of them. I have the Nine Tailed Fox sealed in my stomach. He's big, angry, and likes to kill people. His power is unimaginable and people hate me because they think I'll eat them. Can we leave now?"

"Uh…"

"Please do! I have important paperwork to complete!"

**OMAKE NO JUTSU!**

As Naruto trudged to his apartment, he sighed heavily. It had been three days since the rather rushed explanations had transpired and he hadn't seen even a glimpse of Kokoro. This normally would've bothered him a lot less, but he was worried that she was avoiding because she was afraid of his judgment. Silently, he scoffed. He had the Nine-Tails in his freaking stomach and she had a rebellious nature spirit from fairy tales. Did she really think he cared? Not that he thought it was any less serious or dangerous, from what he'd seen Hidori could control thorn covered vines from hell with little more than a thought, and that was while Kokoro was still mostly in charge.

Lost in thought, he barely noticed as he arrived at his apartment, absently wandering in the kitchen to make instant ramen despite the fact that he just came from Ichiraku's.

He was snapped out of his reverie a few minutes later when a resounding knock echoed through his desolate apartment.

"One minute!" he called, wondering who it could be; not many people came to visit. When he opened the door however, he almost tripped over his own feet in shock.

"I just wanted to say hi to my new neighbor- wow! Would you look at that? Naruto, it's you! What a coincidence!" Kokoro exclaimed cheerfully.

"Wh-what? You-how did you- new neighbor?" he squeaked.

"Yup! I moved in a couple of hours ago. Well isn't this great! Now we can talk whenever we want! Well, I have to go unpack, see you later!" she beamed, and, with a cheery wave, she disappeared into the apartment on his left.

"Wa-wait!" he stuttered, trying to process what had just happened. When he did, he immediately rushed to the apartment an shrieked as he threw open the door, "_Stalker!"_

"What? Oh, you want to help me unpack? What a gentleman,"

"Huh? No! I said you're a stalker!"

"What's wrong?" she asked, suddenly getting a creepy smile on her face. "You don't want me to live next to you where I can see you and follow your every move and stare at you while you sleep and break into your apartment when I think something's wrong and look at you through the window when you go to train and tag along when you go to Ichiraku's?"

"I-I'm go-going to go take a na-nap now. Okay, bye!" he yelped, speeding back to his apartment.

"Okay then, sleep tight!" Kokoro sung, chuckling evilly.

"Oh god I'm going to die, she's crazy, she's going to watch me sleep, oh god I'm dead…" he moaned, sliding down against his now closed and locked door.

But slowly, a smile grew onto his face. Maybe-

"No! My ramen! The inhumanity! Why? Why do the ramen gods hate me?"

**Yeah, short chappie, don't kill me. And a little anti-climatic, no? Oh, and the therapy-jutsu was stolen from... someone. I can't remember who, but it was a time-travel fic. I think it was called 'It's For a Good Cause, I Swear!' but I'm not sure so I'm sorry!**

** Feedback please! :D**

**On a lighter note, thank you, (Guest) Akira, for your kind words! If only everone other than you and mg4of6 had the same inspiration to review! (HINT-FREAKING-HINT)**

**Adios until next time!**


	10. Chapter 10- This Makes no Sense

**IMPORTANT AN AT THE BOTTOM**

**Fair warning, chappie won't make much sense. Don't worry, though. ALL WILL BE REVEALED. **

**Disclaimer- Not yet. Not yet.**

**MAJOR EDIT COMPLETE**

**KOKORO: SOUL, HEART**

Something was wrong, she could just feel it.

Of course, her ninja-senses weren't near as impressive when she was currently limping back to Konoha, her senses failing from the lethal poison injected into many points of her body.

Crap, she still had two hours of traveling at her top speed.

Which she was currently going one-fith of at best, though she was barely moving.

She wasn't going to live five minutes, much less ten hours.

Gasping, she fell to her knees, clutching her head and letting lose a bloodcurdling scream in response to something only she could hear.

**Unless you want to die, I suggest you swallow your pride. Ask for help.**

"No! I-won't- I refuse to!"

**I won't help unless you ask**.

"I won't!"she panted weakly. "I won't. Won't won't won't won't..."

Moaning, Kokoro curled up against a tree.

**Too bad. Nice being trapped in your lethargic body**.

OOooOOooOO

"What?" Naruto exclaimed.

"The Kazekage was kidnapped by the Akatsuki. It's your job to retrieve him. Kakashi has the details, Sakura and he are both waiting by the gate, and I'll send a back up squad when one is available. You're currently the only team capable of doing this. Now go!"

Surprisingly, Naruto only nodded and ran to the gates.

Tsunade was only given a short reprieve however, because minutes later an ANBU shunshined into her office.

"Lady Hokage, we have a kunoichi in need of immediate medical attention. She's pretty bad,"

Biting back a sarcastic reply that went along the lines of 'no shit, dumbass?' she stood up. "What is it?"

"A returning team came across an unconscious kunoichi a couple hours away from the village. When they found her, she had one foot in her grave. If she doesn't get immediate care-"

"Does this kunoichi have a name?" she asked briskly, already on her way to the hospital.

"It is unconfirmed, but she is believed to be Kokoro Haratsuchi,"

Couldn't these brats go _one _day without someone almost dying?

OOooOOooOO (Nothing was edited in this part)

"Oi, Gin-me?"

Darkness. Everything was dark. No light. Why wasn't there any light?

"Wake up, Gin-me!"

Was that a pinprick of light? No, she preferred the darkness. The darkness was cool and comforting.

"Dammit, wake up already!"

No. No, she didn't want to wake up. Waking up meant light.

"I swear, Kokoro, If you die-" the voice broke off suddenly.

Die? Why would she die?

"If you-if you die-"

Naruto? It was, wasn't it. Naruto was the prick of light.

"I'll find a way to bring you back-"

He would do that?

"-and then I'll kill you again!"

He was so- so Naruto-like. Maybe she didn't like the darkness as much as she originally thought. Darkness meant no Naruto.

"Gin-me, please,"

Yes, Kokoro was sure she liked the light more.

"_Come back_,"

She would. She would reach out the the light and step into it. Naruto would be on the other side, desperately trying not to cry. Naruto would yell, he would berate his Gin-me for not waking up sooner. Yes, that's what would happen.

It wasn't.

Instead of a sunny Naruto there was only more, metaphorical darkness. In actuality, everything was quite bright.

Because of the fire.

Fire was ravaging the whole village, eating it up like an angry demon, licking up the sides of buildings and flesh as it craved more food to devour.

"Gin-me, why won't you wake up? You're the one doing this, stop it!" this time, Naruto's voice was filled with badly suppressed panic.

What? She couldn't have caused this. There's no way-

"Koko, please let go!"

She looked around and gasped. There, being strangled by cruel vines, was Takara.

No. She couldn't cause it, not again. No. Nonononono-

Darkness. Everything was dark. No light. Why wasn't there any light?

"Wake up, Gin-me!"

Was that a pinprick of light? No, she preferred the darkness. The darkness was cool and comforting.

"Dammit, wake up already!"

No. No, she didn't want to wake up. Waking up meant light.

"I swear, Kokoro, If you die-" the voice broke off suddenly.

Die? Why would she die?

"If you-if you die-"

Naruto? It was, wasn't it. Naruto was the prick of light.

"I'll find a way to bring you back-"

He would do that?

"-and then I'll kill you again!"

He was so- so Naruto-like. Maybe she didn't like the darkness as much as she originally thought. Darkness meant no Naruto.

"Gin-me, please,"

Yes, Kokoro was sure she liked the light more.

"_Come back_,"

She would. She would reach out the the light and step into it. Naruto would be on the other side, desperately trying not to cry. Naruto would yell, he would berate his Gin-me for not waking up sooner. Yes, that's what would happen.

Sort of.

Naruto was grinning when the darkness faded away.

Everything was bright.

They were on a field, a very familiar field.

"Gin-me," he breathed, twirling a pink flower in his fingers.

Then he crushed it.

And his smile became cruel.

What was going on with Naruto? Why was this happening?

"_Gin-me, Gin-me_," he mocked, pulling out a kunai.

No. This wasn't her Naruto. Something was wrong, his blue eyes weren't full of mirth and his lips weren't upturned in a smile.

_What was wrong with Naruto?_

"It's your fault. Everything is. You killed me just like you killed your sister. Where did you think you were? You're in your own hell," Naruto smirked. "And you deserve it. After all, you killed your own sister. What kind of person does that?"

No. It wasn't her fault. She was forced-

"And you're a ninja. What good ninja wouldn't end up here? You're guilty of more evil than many civilians could even dream about,"

No. Nonononono-

Darkness. Everything was dark. No light. Why wasn't there any light?

"Wake up, Gin-me!"

Was that a pinprick of light? No, she preferred the darkness. The darkness was cool and comforting.

"Dammit, wake up already!"

No. No, she didn't want to wake up. Waking up meant light.

Ninjas like her belonged in the darkness.

They didn't deserve happiness-

The pinprick of light vanished.

-and they didn't deserve friendship-

The voice stopped repeating 'Gin-me'.

-and they didn't deserve light.

Darkness. Everything was dark. No light.

No light, ever again.

*********IMPORTANT NOTE*********

**THE EDIT IS FINISHED! WHO HOOO, A WEEK AHEAD OF SCHEDULE! CHAPPIE ELEVEN IS IN PROGRESS! YEAAAAH! :D**


	11. Chapter 11

**This takes place in the four days Naruto was 'angsting' (as much as he can, lol) over not seeing Koko.**

**So maybe this is drawn out... But I couldn't help myself! Shika's in it and he wanted screen time! Oh, and it is my belief that Ino has a lot of wasted potential. So yeah. **

**KOKORO: SOUL, HEART**

A thoroughly confused Kokoro lay unmoving in the same field she had been in when that Nara- Shikamaru, wasn't it?- had stumbled upon her. If she was being honest with herself, and she wasn't entirely sure she was, Kokoro was half hoping he would show up again. If nothing else he would be a distraction and it would save her the trouble of sucking up her pride and going to him of her own accord. Her own deadline was approaching quickly; in twenty minutes she would go to the Nara compound if he didn't show.

Absently twirling a blue wildflower against the sky, Kokoro closed her eyes and asked herself for the hundredth time if this was _exactly _and _irrevocably _what she wanted.

And again, while feeling the soft breeze play with her hair, she came up with the same answer.

No. This wasn't what she particularly wanted.

Gritting her teeth in frustration, Kokoro opened her eyes to glare dejectedly at the heavens.

She knew, even though it pained her greatly to admit it, that it was what she needed.

The same pattern repeated for nineteen and three-quarters minutes, the only variation occurring when the blue flower was replaced with a pink one after it had blown out of her hand. Sighing, Kokoro forced herself to get up and turn towards the direction of the Nara's.

It was time to start the long process of making amends.

OOooOOooOO

Knocking on the head of the Nara clan's door was probably the hardest non-mission related thing she had ever done. In fact, the task took almost a whole minute to complete. When she finally did manage it, however, silence greeted her. For a second- one _blessed_ second- Kokoro thought they might be out.

"One second!" a harried voice shouted, and various thumping noises followed. "Dammit, Shukaku! Are you so damned lazy that you can't move your goddamned shoes?"

Instants later the door flew open, revealing a woman with long, brown hair kept in a low ponytail with three strands framing her face. She was wearing a pink blouse and dark-coloured skirt along with an apron over it; simple hoop earrings adorned her ears.

"Can I help you?" she asked, her tone softening a bit. "Name please?"

"Yes, please. My name is Kokoro Haratsuchi and I was wondering if I could talk to Shikamaru,"

Yoshino Nara knew that she wasn't anywhere near as smart as her husband or son, not to mention that she was only a simple housewife and they ninjas. Despite that, she was under no delusions that she was stupid. While she may not have a photographic memory, she prided herself on her ability to remember names and the faces that went with them, so when the strange young woman stated her name Yoshino was not surprised at the small well of information that trickled into her brain.

She was, however, surprised at the information itself.

This girl- for really, that was all she was- had gone through such horrible things at the hands of a Nara, and yet here she was asking to see one. Yoshino had heard Shukaku order their son to apologize on behalf of the clan to help him get used to formalities like that, but had never heard the details of what her response was, only that it was negative.

Yoshino's motherly instincts were practically howling at her to embrace the unfortunate child and offer her any support she might need.

"I don't suppose you want condolences, my dear," she said gently, sensing that the girl was like a deer and liable to frighten easily. "Well then, why don't you come and have a seat while I go fetch him for you,"

"Th-thank you, Mrs. Nara," Kokoro stammered, slightly taken aback by the abrupt change in the woman's demeanor.

"Please, just call me Yoshino," the woman instructed, leading her into the house.

The house was...normal. Kokoro knew that the Naras were more laid back than most clans, but after visiting the Hyuuga household she expected grand furniture at the very least. It was actually quite the opposite- most of the tables and bookcases she saw were well-worn at best and there was a hole in the living room rug.

"Here, this should do well. After I get Shikamaru down here I'll bring in some tea, is that okay?"

"Yes, thank you,"

While she waited for the warm woman to return, Kokoro looked around the small room she had been led to. There wasn't much in it besides a table in the middle and a chess set in the corner, but she got the feeling a lot of time was spent in it.

"Shikamaru, you lazy ass! There's a pretty young lady here to speak to you! I'm sure every other male in your age group would be drooling to have her in their house!"

Kokoro's face colored slightly.

"Troublesome? Troublesome? How do you expect to get married if you won't even walk across the house to see a girl?"

Faintly, Kokoro wondered if it wouldn't work better to just explain who she was and why she was here.

A few minutes later, after an unnerving period of silence in which she assumed Yoshino did just that, a grim Shikamaru opened the sliding door and sat across from her with a sigh.

"I swear that woman gets more troublesome every day,"

"I don't know, she seemed pretty nice to me,"

"Wait a minute, didn't you say you didn't want anything to do with-"

"About that," she interrupted, ignoring his raised eyebrow. "This time I'm the one who wants to apologize. I reacted with malice towards you and your clan with no provocation. That missing ninja was no longer a part of your clan the second he stepped foot out of Konoha. Any grudge I may hold is not aimed towards you. I apologize for my irrational actions," she said, bowing her head.

Shikamaru was at a loss. Just weeks previously this kunoichi had been filled with anger and spite; she had scorned every attempt at communication. Now she had come in person to apologize and almost beg for forgiveness. There were very few people who had that kind of change in heart over many years, let alone a few weeks. In fact, there was only one logical explanation-

"Here you go," Yoshino broke in, only staying long enough to hand off the tea.

"Tell me, Kokoro, have you been on any missions since we last... talked?"

"Just one,"

"So the hyperactive idiot did it again," he muttered.

"How did you-"

"Only Naruto could change someone this much,"

"...You know him well, then?"

"Mmm... not particularly. We were in the same class and I've gone on a couple of missions with him but that's it,"

"Shikamaru?" she asked hesitantly, unsure if she wanted to drag the topic up again.

"Maa?"

"You never answered... do you accept my-"

"Clan affairs are a drag. I don't really care either way,"

OOooOOooOO

Two hours later and Kokoro was still at a loss to explain how it had happened. She had meant to apologize then leave, but had instead stayed and played two games of chess. Which she lost horribly. Afterwards, she had tried to escape but was instead captured by Yoshino who insisted on her staying for dinner.

It was an odd meal, to say the least.

The second Shukaku slouched into his house and saw an extra female, he grumbled something about troublesome women. This incensed Yoshino who screeched at him for being a sexist pig and for passing it down to his son. Once introductions were made, though Kokoro and Shukaku already knew each other from a few odd missions neither had the heart (or motivation) to tell the woman, everyone made their way to the table.

After she had set the food-a big bowl of Zani and a side of rice- on the table, Yoshino sat next to her to face the two men. **[Zani-soup containing mochi rice cakes along with various vegetables and often chicken]**

**~~FLASHBACK BECAUSE I'M TIRED OF NO DIALOGUE~~**

_"So, Kokoro, you're eighteen, right?" she asked, filling a bowl with a generous helping and placing it in front of her._

_"Yes,"_

_"Hmm... oh! Do you know Ami ? I'm pretty sure she was in your class. Her family-"_

_"I never socialized back in the academy and never kept in touch with anyone in my class. I'm sorry, but I don't know anyone,"_

_"It's okay, dear. Not everyone-wait, do you mean you don't have _any _friends?" Yoshino asked somewhat worriedly, finishing serving everyone else and herself.  
_

_"Yoshino, leave the poor girl be. Plenty of ninjas become antisocial. If that's how she copes, don't judge her," Shukaku droned, tilting his head slightly at Kokoro's grateful look. _

_"What about Naruto? You spent three and a half weeks with the guy; I've known him to make friends after after a few days,"_

_"Well... I guess. I don't really know. I'd _like _to think of him as a friend, but at the same time..."_

_"You're afraid you'll end up hurt, aren't you, dear?"_

_"I'm sorry, I shouldn't be bringing heavy things like this up at dinner. Yoshino, you're certainly an amazing cook,"_

_"Why thank you, dear. I was hoping-"_

_"Where are you, you lazy asshole?" someone shrieked and Kokoro heard the front door slam open. "I swear, I'm going to_ maim _you!"_

_"Oh man,"_

_"Does she have to be so loud?"_

_"You probably deserve it,"_

_Completley confused, Kokoro looked between the muttering family until stomping footsteps entered the dining room._

_"Shikamaru Nara, your death will be- oh," the purple-clad girl yelled before catching sight of Kokoro and squealing,"Shika! You got a girlfriend!"_

_"What? No, we're not-"_

_"Of course all your transgressions are forgiven," _

_"Ino, you troublesome woman-"_

_"And you're practically _gorgeous,"

_"Um,thanks? Anyway, we're not-"_

_"This is so exciting! I never imagined Shika could impress a girl of your caliber. How'd he do it? A romantic stroll through the park? Though cliche, it seems something he would do. Ooooh, how long have youbeen going out?"_

_While Kokoro tried desperately to head off Ino's blabbering, Shikamaru and Shukaku just continued to eat. Yoshino was at a loss. Should she help Kokoro or just enjoy the show?_

_"How'd you first meet? Was it on a mission?"_

_"No, it was in a field,"_

_"C'mon, give me the details!" Ino said eagerly, pulling an extra chair from out of what seemed thin air. _

_"He was trying to apologize on behalf of his clan for one of their members who took control of my body and forced me to kill my team," she said bluntly. _

_"Oh, let me guess! You were furious- your past lover was on that team- and do you gave him a piece of your mind. After that-"_

_"We are not dating!" Kokoro hissed, finally grabbing the Yamanaka's attention._

_"Ri-ight," she drew out the word, smiling knowingly. "Of course you aren't,"_

_And she refused to leave the rest of dinner. _

OOooOOooOO

The following morning, or afternoon since it _was_ noon, Kokoro awoke feeling odd. It wasn't like she was sick-heaven knows she knew what _that_ felt like- and nothing was out of place in her room, not that there was much to be tampered with in the first place.

In her whole, admittedly small (one bedroom, a tiny living room of sorts that led into a very compressed kitchen, and a bathroom), apartment there were only three decorations- a picture of her family, including her father as Kokoro held no real grudge; the man had gone insane, a picture of her late team, and a picture of she and Takara back when they were only fifteen. Her bed was just a mattress with a blanket thrown over it and her nightstand had only a lamp and glass of water on it. The walls were a boring beige color and the floors a dull pine wood.

No, nothing in her room was out of place.

But ninjas, even and especially newly woken up ones, trusted their senses without hesitation.

So, though she wasn't entirely sure of the reason, Kokoro didn't didn't question her muscles as they grabbed a kunai hurled it into the small living room.

"Well, aren't you happy when you wake up?"

"Why are you in my house, Ino?"

"You have two options- come quietly or I _will_ take drastic measures,"

"...I'm not sure I want to know, but what the hell are you talking about?"

"The target is resisting!" Ino called out to no one, jumping up from her relaxed position on the slightly scuffed brown couch.

"No, I'm just wondering why- wait, target?" Kokoro asked, becoming slightly apprehensive.

"You know, those pajamas are really cute on you,"

Instantly she retreated to her room for a fifteen-second change of clothes, ignoring Ino's smirk when she returned.

The blonde was up to something she wanted no part in, Kokoro could just feel it. Unfortunately, as she was pretty sure she'd be dragged along against her will, it required clothes.

"Hold on- how do you know where I live?"

"I may or may not have followed you home last night,"

Yeah, she was screwed.

OOooOOooOO

Ino, it turned out, had scheduled a big gathering of all her peers and thought it best to invite her teammates _not_-girlfriend.

"Sadly, through various missions some aren't able to come. The people who are, though, should be great for your intergration in society," she chirped, ignoring Kokoro's befuddlement.

The gathering was in a small field-not the one she'd spent so much time in- surrounding a pond/lake thing. The grass was an almost an unnatural green sprinkled with yellow flowers all around and Cattalillies by the edge of the water. There were two tables set up about twenty feet from the lake and Kokoro could make out people milling around them. A banner streamed in the light breeze, bearing a message Kokoro didn't bother to read- it probably said 'Pointless gathering in progress!' or something.

Once she and Ino were close enough, Ino called out,"Hey! Everyone shut up and get in a line!"

To her surprise, everyone did except a... large... boy who lingered at the tables. The poor teen was subjected to Ino's surprisingly scary glare until he moved to the end of the line. The whole thing seemed practiced.

"Alright, this here is Kokoro. She's eighteen, currently in reform courtesy of Naruto-"

She received many knowing looks.

"-and has no social life,"

"That was a bit harsh, don't you-"

"Don't speak, Kiba," she snapped to a mildly affronted boy with red triangles on his face. He looked as if he wanted to retaliate, but the Hyuuga girl next to him stopped him with a hand on his arm.

"You are going to say your name and favorite color when it's your turn. Go!"

"TenTen, nice to meet you! My favorite color is red,"

"Kiba Inuzuka, and this is Akamaru! We like red as well,"

"Woof!"

"Aren't dogs colorblind?" Kokoro asked.

"Actually-"

"Next!" Ino roared.

"Hinata, I like lavender, pleased to meet you,"

"Chouji, at your service! Hmm... I don't really have a favorite color..."

"Your turn,"

"Me? But you already-"

"I said it's your turn. Are you contradicting me?"

"I'm Kokoro. I like green. I was stalked last night by Ino and woke up with her in my living room. I wish to go home,"

"Disperse!"

"What are you, a military captain?" Kokoro grumbled as Ino grabbed her arm and dragged her to the other girls before disappearing to god knows where.

"Don't mind her," the girl with the buns said, popping a chip into her mouth. "She's a social person by nature and jumps on the opportunity of getting a new friend. We used to resist more, but it's easier to just do what she wants. TenTen, by the way, in case you forgot,"

"In the beginning these parties were just to catch up and only the girls came, but then we started to see how dangerous being a ninja really was,"

"What do you mean?"

"At any time one of us could die. It helps Ino if she knows she spent as much time as possible with her friends and so everyone in her Genin class- plus my team- gets together once a month for a picnic by the lake. The only person who hasn't made it to a single one is Naruto, but he just got back and Ino didn't want to bother him,"

"Oh..."

"C'mon Hinata, Kokoro, let's go get something to drink,"

OOooOOooOO

Kokoro, despite being dragged against her will, actually enjoyed herself.

She and TenTen got into a water fight against Kiba and Akamaru, she and Chouji had an eating contest, and she and Kiba had a shouting match that had to be broken up by Hinata.

Even though she didn't win anything, she found that she rather enjoyed all of their company. Kiba and TenTen, though dealing with violent tendencies, were cool wince you got to know them a little. Chouji and Hinata were both the sweetest people Kokoro thought she'd ever meet. Ino, though she seemed a little pushy at first, was a bright, hard working girl who loved to make people smile.

Before everyone went their separate ways, Kiba and TenTen got into another small argument.

"I don't see how you rely solely on weapons,"

"You rely on a dog. A _dog,"_

Bythe time the argument drew towards its last insults, everyone was watching in amusement.

"Yeah? Well this 'stupid weapon scroll' is going to add your name to the Memorial Stone!"

"And once I'm there, you're gonna visit me every day in guilt, sobbing for the poor boy who let you win to shut you up,"

That one sentence made Kokoro come to the realization that the Memorial stone was for remembering and if no one had friends, who would remember them? The stone, made by the Hokage generations ago, was a testament to that. In order to make friends though, one had to be open and actually socialize, something supposedly against the shinobi rules. Maybe emotions were, like Naruto said, only meant to be pushed back if they hindered the person?

In that case... she would try. She would strive to make friends and have fun and be _human_- and more than that, a _person_- unless on a mission. On a mission, she would kill all emotions.

Maybe.

If she felt like it.

At the moment, she was content to have a good time with her new... friends. Yes, her friends. And afterwards, she was going to find out where Naruto lived because Ino, in a messed up and perverse way, had lead her to an interesting conclusion only thought about in passing before.

It was fun to screw with people's heads.

Hidden in plain sight, a man felt a smile crawl onto his face at the sight in front of him.

It was a start.

OOooOOooOO

One week after Kokoro moved in next to Naruto, she was called into the Hokage's office.

"You don't have to accept it. There are others capable of doing it,"

That was a lie and they both knew it. If there was someone better qualified for the mission, Tsunade would have called them instead.

Kokoro could accept the A-rank or someone with an even smaller chance of survival would be forced to.

Dammit.

Damn the shortage of capable ninjas.

Damn the Jonin for being away.

Damn her job; she hated sending children on suicide missions.

"I accept," the black haired girl said calmly.

**It is 3:50am. Forgive any mistakes. forgive this monstrosity of a chapter. Dx I just want to sleep! DAMN YOU INSOMNIA!**

**Anywho, while this chappie may seem like a filler, I just felt like everyone deserved a break from the plot. Or maybe... Shit. I'm being infected with the 'anime writer' disease. Noooo! Save yourselves! ShikaNaru, the plot IS important, it is, it is, it is! XD I find everything hysterical this early. Sorry for ranting.**

**EDIT- It's 5:27am now. T.T The inhumanity. My brother is now freaking AWAKE, and I haven't even gone to bed! And no, it's not because I have access to fanfiction. I am exhausted and wish to go to bed. The only reason I'm here is because I'm now just bored out of my mind. **


	12. Chapter 12

**I have found a quote that I think really fits Kokoro- "Compared to letting it fall apart, trying to hold it together is so much more difficult." - Yumichika ****Ayasegawa, Bleach**

******Oh, and for the purpose of this fic, the whole Gaara rescue ark took a total of two weeks. Realistically, it probably only took somewhere between a week and eleven days but too bad. (It takes three days to get to Suna)**

* * *

KOKORO: SOUL, HEART

Sighing, Ino finished watering the small vase of flowers by the hospital bed. It was sad, really, that almost no one had visited the unconscious figure. As far as she knew, only she and Kiba- hmmm, _interesting_ now that she thought about it- had even bothered, though the window was suspiciously open a few days ago.

That poor girl had gone through so much, and when she finally got help she was sent to the brink of death. It had destroyed her pride, but now she was attempting to make friends.

Ino was really starting to wish she had told Kokoro that _someone_- and she really had no idea who, it was in a note slipped under her door- had spilled all her problems to her with the order of 'Don't tell her you know. Don't act different. Just be her friend and help her heal.'

She didn't like secrets. It wasn't because she wanted to know everything about everyone, though that was a benefit, but because Ino didn't want regrets. If she liked someone but he died before she told him, she would spend the rest of her life wondering about what could've been. If she was completely honest upfront, there was nothing to hold her back.

It also made her feel guilty, as if she were deceiving the girl two years her senior.

Goddammit.

To be honest, she didn't really even know her. She knew about her past from the note, but other than that the girl was an enigma. Some days she would be open and laugh a lot, others more withdrawn. It was like she was fighting _herself_ of all things. Ino could proudly say she knew Kokoro better than everyone in their age group (minus Naruto probably) but that wasn't saying much.

She liked green.

She only wore one earring because the other was her twin's.

She was a bizarre mix of Kiba and Hinata personality wise.

She was really good at gardening but hated doing it.

She preferred to go to bed really early in the morning and sleep until noon.

Her favorite flower was a tie between an Amarylis and a Yellow Camillia.

She was not afraid to cry but hated doing it in front of others.

That was it. That was the extent of Ino's knowledge and it maddened her. She knew everything about everyone and yet she was being kept at arms length, unable to learn the most basic things such as Kokoro's favorite food.

In any case, she had to get back to the shop. It was a pity, especially since she knew how it felt to wake up after being in a coma with no one around, but there was no guarantee she would wake up at all, let alone soon, due to the extent of her injuries and the poison.

There was still hope though, seeing as it had only been five days.

Hope.

Ino hated, and yet almost completely relied on, that word.

OOooOOooOO

"Give him back, you bastard! Don't you _dare_ sit on him!" Naruto snarled, glaring at the two figures from behind Kakashi's cautioning arm despite his trembling hands. His eyes were already a shameless crimson, his nails unforgiving claws.

Gaara was dead.

Dead.

Gone.

Never coming back.

His friend was dead.

_Dead_.

All because of the Akatsuki.

A feral growl forced itself out his throat.

OOooOOooOO

The head nurse in charge of rooms A200-A230, Aiko, bustled into room A217 to check on its patient.

She was relatively young at twenty-six and had worked in the hospital since she was an eighteen year-old intern. She had learned that long hair was nothing more than a hassle and, as such, her black locks only reached to her chin.

Normally, nurses were given a maximum of twenty rooms to look after, but since Aiko worked in the comatose side of the building and the patients rarley needed anything, the Hokage saw it fit to assign more rooms to her. Plus, there were three lower nurses constantly on hand for emergencies.

As she checked the beeping monitors, Aiko looked at the clipboard for the paitent's name.

"Kokoro Haratsuchi, eighteen years-old, Chunin, extensive damage to the ribcage, many semi-deep wounds, grade A poison," she muttered. "Been in a coma for eleven days,"

Personally, Aiko hated ninjas. It wasn't because the Jonins were constantly escaping treatment, or even that they were more or less trained assassins, but because they put themselves under the village. She understood they were needed and that it had to be done, but they were so damn _suicidal_!

"When are you going to wake up, Miss Kokoro? All your vital signs are normal, even if your heart rate is a little slow. I'm sure there's someone praying for the day you wake up, how long are you going to keep them wait-" Aiko broke off with a gasp when she finally looked at her patient's face.

Her eyes were open.

A split second later, she was by her side speaking in a soothing voice the script required for someone awakening from a coma longer than three days.

"Miss Kokoro! It's okay, you're safe. You're in...the..."

Something was wrong.

Her eyes were glazed over with an empty look in them, almost as if she were...

A few feet away, the monitors that had been fine the minute before started going haywire.

This wasn't good.

Aiko rushed to the monitors so quickly that she missed Kokoro's eyes flash green and the flowers next to her begin to grow and move towards her throat and chest.

OOooOOooOO

Darkness. Everything was dark. No light. Why wasn't there any light?

"Wake up, Gin-me!"

Was that a pinprick of light? No, she preferred the darkness. The darkness was cool and comforting.

"Dammit, wake up already!"

No. No, she didn't want to wake up. Waking up meant light.

Ninjas like her belonged in the darkness.

They didn't deserve happiness-

The pinprick of light vanished.

-and they didn't deserve friendship-

The voice stopped repeating 'Gin-me'.

-and they didn't deserve light.

Darkness. Everything was dark. No light.

No light, ever again.

* * *

**Okay, so, first- the dream thing. The dreams kept repeating over and over through the course of her coma until she finally had enough- thus the ending in chappie ten and this one. **

**Second- sorry it's so short, I've *sniff* fallen victim to the curse of writers' block. I know how I want it to end, just not how to get there. Plus, I'm fairly sure I'd be flamed to hell if I just skipped to the end of Pein's attack. (That's where I'm planning on ending this)**

**Third- the plant thing. SHE _IS_ TRYING TO KILL HERSELF SUBCONSCIOUSLY. Kokoro is tired of the pain and just wants it to stop but since she's stuck in a coma it's not on purpose. It's my belief that Koko's character would never actually resort to that. **

**Until next time! **


	13. Chapter 13

**I apologize in advance for this sucky chappie. =_= Damn writers' block, addicting websites, and mothers who decide on 'no electronics' days and family time whenever I happen to get ideas. **

* * *

**KOKORO: SOUL, HEART**

Kiba Inuzuka was hot-headed, rash, rude, loud, and somewhat annoying and was proud to announce it to the world. A few things he was _not_ were empathetic, overly caring, and observant. He took things at face value- if someone was smiling, they were happy, if someone was crying, they were sad, if someone had to be fixed by Naruto, they were fucked up.

That was the main reason he became suspicious; Naruto didn't tend to 'fix' normal, happy people. It took a while- she _was_ smiling, even if it was small and somewhat rare- but he finally came to the conclusion that Kokoro was not, in fact, happy. After a conversation with Akamaru- so what if he was a dog? Akamaru was special- he learned that she smelled of nothing but despair. Which, now that he thought about it, was kind of gross. What did despair even smell like?

Unfortunately, by the time Kiba put all of this together, Hinata- the only one who he was sure could actually _help_- was off on a mission with Shino and Kurenai, and Kokoro was in a damn coma with 'Improbable Recovery' written in big letters on the clipboard he wasn't supposed to see. What? He was bored. People in comas weren't exactly the life of the party.

_Fortunately_, Kiba was also stubborn. He was determined to be there when Kokoro woke up so that he could ask her what the hell was wrong with her. For all he or anyone else knew, she could be suicidal or into self-harm.

It had absolutely _nothing_ to do with the fact that she was smoking hot. Nothing. At all.

As he turned to go into her room, he expected her to be alone and just laying there like a dead person.

Instead, monitors were beeping at a volume that left Kiba wondering how he didn't hear them walking up, and Kokoro was being strangled by a plant while the nurse had her back turned.

"Holy shit," he cursed, racing to her side and ripping the plant from hell away from her throat.

"Sir? I'll have to-"

"Are you blind?" Kiba interrupted, waving the flowers around in front of him, only to have the nurse stare at him from the other side of the room. "She was being strangled by a...wait a minute, she was being strangled by a flower? What the hell?!"

"Oh thank god. Her heart rate is normal again and so is her-"

"A flower? Seriously, what the fu-"

"Language! Now, I'm going to have to ask you to leave while I make sure she remains stable. Please- is there a reason you destroyed the flowers Miss Yamanaka gave her?" she asked, her voice sickly sweet.

"Yeah, there's a reason! It was trying to kill her!"

"I see... Mr. Inuzuka, right? How about you head down to the B-wing?"

"Isn't that for the patients with brain damage? And what about Kokoro?"

Yeah, Kiba knew his way around the hospital a bit _too_ well. But hey- that meant he was an awesome ninja who went on loads of dangerous missions, right?

"As long as she stays stable she should-"

"I'm not leaving," he said, glaring at the nurse.

"I _will_ call security,"

"Like I give a damn! I could kick all their-"

"Just shut the hell up, I have the mother of all headaches," a voice moaned from the hospital bed.

"Kokoro? You're awake?"

"Miss Haratsuchi, everything is alright. You were in a coma-"

"Mind telling me why a flower was trying to strangle-"

"Mr. Inuzuka, please be-"

"I mean, flowers don't just go around killing people. Hell, they don't move at-"

"Screw you all," the previously comatose girl mumbled.

"If you were trying to commit suicide, five stars for creativity, though I'm not sure-"

"Inuzuka! Out!"

"Make me! Anywho, I wanted to ask you about your scent..." he trailed off, looking curiously at Kokoro. Why was she covering her head with the pillow?

"Her _scent_? That's it, I'll have a room in the B-wing ready by-"

"I am going to kill both of you if you don't shut the fuck up!"

"Language, Miss Haratsuchi!"

"Don't judge people by the words they use! Everyone is perfect just the way-"

"What the hell are you, a counselor? Shut up!"

"He's not a counselor, but he needs one,"

"Hey! Don't disrespect me!" Kiba shouted, easily dodging the weakly-thrown pillow aimed at his head.

"All you ninjas are insane! Just be quiet and let me do my job!"

"I'll be quiet when I wanna be!"

"I'm seriously about to kill both of you..."

OOooOOooOO

"Lady Tsunade!"

"What is it, Shizune?" the Hokage asked, not looking up from the gigantic stack of paperwork she was being forced complete.

"I have good and bad news..."

"Good news?"

"Kokoro Haratsuchi has woken up from her coma,"

At that, Tsunade did look up. If _that _was the good news, then the bad news was either cripplingly bad or equally trivial. It wasn't that she didn't care about the Chunin, it was just that, to a village leader, a subordinate awakening from only an eleven-day coma wasn't that... _important_.

"Bad news?"

"Kiba Inuzuka has several minor injuries, the most severe being a sprained wrist, and so does the head nurse, Aiko,"

"What?"

"That's not the worst of it, Lady Tsunade. Apparently they wouldn't be quiet and it annoyed Kokoro. They were attacked by some flowers Ino Yamanaka had left a few hours before and Kiba said that the same flowers were strangling Kokoro when he walked into the room,"

"Where is Kokoro now?"

"In a private room being watched by two ANBU. Kiba managed to knock her out-"

"After she just woke up from a _coma_?"

"Forgive me, Lady Tsunade, but it was all he could do in that situation. She hasn't woken up yet, but when she does-"

"Did Kiba say anything about her eyes?"

"No, Lady Tsunade,"

"Then I guess we can't be sure until she snaps out of it again," Tsunade said, standing up to stare out the window. It was always so peaceful below- children laughing and playing, civilians and ninjas alike chatting- but today she was too preoccupied with the Gaara situation- and now the Kokoro one- to appreciate the view.

"Be sure of what, Lady Tsunade?"

"Whether it's really Kokoro or if she's being possessed by Midori,"

OOooOOooOO

"Naruto, please just calm down..."

"Calm down? How can I _calm down_? He's toting Gaara around in the mouth of that bird like he's a toy or something!" he roared, crimson eyes flashing.

Dead.

Gone.

No turning back.

"Even so-"

"Even so nothing, Kakashi-sensei!"

Dead.

Gone.

Never coming back.

"Naruto-"

"I refuse to become scum! I won't leave my friend behind!"

Dead.

Gone.

_Forever_.

As the two ran towards Deidara, normally sunny hair flashed in an almost sarcastic way.

He was going to pay.

**Let's grind his bones to dust. **

He was going to suffer.

**We can rip his arms off and watch him struggle. **

He was going to feel _pain_.

**Let's kill him.**

"**I** **am** going to **kill** you!" Naruto screamed, pushing ahead of a very concerned Kakashi.

* * *

**Sooo... sorry if this seems filler-esque, but I figured I should post this chappie and then take my time writing the next one. Which will have more 'plot' in it. :c I'm really trying. I REFUSE TO DROP THIS STORY. Even though I've been reduced to updating at 2am... *sigh* Has it really come to this? Oh wait... I've updated at weirder times. XD **

**Please review or PM me any suggestions you have. I'll seriously listen to anything at this point. **

**I have a poll on my profile to see who Kokoro ends up with. I have someone in mind, but I want to know what you, dear seven readers, think. I do reserve the right to say 'hell no' to your choice though. ;D**

**On a completely unrelated note, I think I have a twincest fetish. First Hikaru and Kaoru from Ouran HS Host Club, and now Rin and Yukio from Blue Exorcist... **


	14. Chapter 14

**Okay, I realized while writing this chappie that I've been spelling the ninja ranks wrong. I apologize, but I'm too lazy to go back and fix it. The correct spellings are Genin, Chuunin, and Jounin. **

* * *

"Naruto! Wait up!"

"TenTen? Neji? What is it?" he asked, slowing down to allow them to catch up. "I was just talking to Kakashi-sensei about when we're leaving. He's pretty tired because of that new Sharingan thing, but he says we'll leave in the next-"

"You know Kokoro Haratsuchi, right?" Neji asked, looking as stoic as always.

"Huh? Gin-me? Yeah, I know her. Why?"

"There wasn't really a good time to say this because we came in a little late, and then, to be honest, I forgot about it," TenTen admitted, rubbing the back of her head sheepishly.

"Forgot about what?"

"We were coming back from the mission we were assigned before this when Neji saw a weak, stationary chakra signature,"

"So what?" Naruto asked, leaning against the wall across from Kakashi's hospital room. It kind of amused him to see that even though the Leaf and the Sand were different in so many ways, both their hospitals were the same- quiet, boring, bland, and begging to be sneaked out of.

"Well... there's not really an easy way to say this..."

"The kunoichi Kokoro Haratsuchi was found unconscious, severely injured, and poisoned. Her chance of recovery was around five-percent when we found her, but twenty-percent when we left,"

"Wait, what?" Naruto exclaimed, pushing himself off the bland, beige wall to face Neji.

"You didn't have to be so blunt about it," TenTen muttered.

Naruto felt something constrict in his chest. Kokoro was injured, perhaps fatally, and that was when team Gai had left the village. By the time they made it back, it'd have been a little over two weeks, and who knows what condition she'd be in by then? What if she was even worse than what the medics had originally thought? What if she didn't...

"I'm sure she'll be fine,"

"Anyone of the rank Jounin wouldn't be killed that easily," Neji said, trying to be comforting in his own, weird way.

No. Kokoro would be fine. Tsunade would take care of her personally if she was that bad, not to mention how fast she healed. Her body probably overwrote the poison a few hours after team Gai left. She was probably out training now, furious at herself for getting injured. Neji was right, no Jounin- wait.

"Kokoro's a Chuunin, not a Jounin," TenTen corrected. "Though I heard something about her not taking the test to stay level with her sister, so I'm sure her skills are on par with a Jounin's and she's fine!" she added quickly.

Half in a daze, Naruto walked back into Kakashi's hospital room. He had to leave now. He had to know if Kokoro was okay. If Kakashi could walk, _they had to leave_.

"Naruto? Are you alright?"

"Just leave him. We should probably go find Lee and Gai-sensei and tell them it's time to go,"

OOooOOooOO

Even before she _really_ woke up, Kokoro realized she had a splitting headache. It pounded in time with her too-loud heart and was almost crippling, making her want to groan. Cracking her eyes open to allow her eyes to adjust to the light, Kokoro wondered where she was.

All she could see was the ceiling, but even that was enough to tell her that she wasn't in a place she'd been before. It was too bright to be the hospital, but the ceiling was too white to be anywhere else. Only when she tried to sit up did she become aware of the fact that she was restrained.

Shit.

There was no way she'd been captured; no one in their right mind would _save_ an enemy ninja from the brink of death just to get information, it just wasn't worth the trouble. But despite how unlikely, it was still a possibility, and she had to be prepared.

Suddenly, a wave of dizziness washed over her and this time she did groan.

"Kokoro Haratsuchi, can you hear me?"

"Lady Hokage?"

"You've asleep for some time and suffered a head injury. I'll need you to answer some questions. How old are you?"

Alarm bells went off in her head, adding to the pounding of her heart.

It was a simple tactic- ask an unimportant question first, under the guise of a medical examination. Add in a small genjutsu to make the voice seem familiar, and someone who's just woken up from a who-knows-how-long coma automatically answers. Slowly, the questions get more serious, inquiring about the mission and basic strategies of the village the target came from. By the time the victim truly came to their senses, enough information was gathered to form a small problem. Repeat enough times and it could end up costing the target's village everything.

The only way to avoid a potential disaster was to feed the enemy half-truths and lies without hesitation.

"Sixteen,"

"What is your rank?"

"Chuunin, as of the last exams,"

Let them think she was a young hot-shot who wasn't aware of what she was doing.

"What is the highest ranked mission you've been on?"

"B-rank,"

"If that's true, why was your body filled with lethal amounts of A-grade poison and how did you survive?"

"The mission took an unexpected turn and my father abused me until I was eleven. I was exposed to hundreds poisons and developed a tolerance for many,"

A small pause followed, allowing Kokoro to once again focus on her aching head.

"Shizune, untie her,"

"Yes, Lady Tsunade,"

Were they insane? If they untied her she would just try to escape!

Kokoro remained limp and relaxed as the restraints were removed, even offering Shizune a small smile and 'thank-you' before she moved away.

Sucking in a breath to prepare herself for the rush of pain that was sure to come, Kokoro sat up and flung her legs over the side of the bed.

"I'm sorry to be rude, but I'm really not in the mood to beat around the bush. Why were you testing me?" she asked bluntly, not even acknowledging the two ANBU standing beside the Hokage in deceptively laid-back positions.

"Dismissed," Tsunade ordered, nodding to the guards. "You too, Shizune," After they were gone, she walked towards Kokoro, a green-blue light enveloping her hands. "Because you attacked Kiba Inuzuka and the head nurse and plants were involved. I had to make sure you weren't being possessed by Midori. If you were, you wouldn't have applied your training and lied," she said, walking towards a shell-shocked Kokoro.

"I did _what_?" Kokoro whispered, horrified and suppressing the urge to close her eyes as the pain in her skull slowly faded into nothing.

"Calm down. The worst injury was a sprained wrist and it's already been healed. Neither of them know what happened and Aiko, the head nurse, doesn't even care. Kiba kept rambling about your scent and something about creative suicide, so I doubt he cares either. Right now you're in a special part of the hospital for patients with unknown alliances," she said calmly, trying to answered every unasked question the girl would normally ask.

"I-I _hurt_ them?"

"No, _Midori_ hurt them," Tsunade amended, her hands moving from her patient's head to her chest. "When you were first brought in, the cuts on your ribs were so deep you could almost see the bone. Now, however, they're only mildly deep. The burns you originally had disappeared after two days. No lasting damage that I can see, though you might be a bit disoriented from your eleven day coma, and you're free to do B-rank and below in a week and a half, A-rank in two,"

"No!"

"Excuse me?"

"You can't send me on missions where I'm in danger! Before I passed out, she was trying to get in my head, she kept telling me to ask for her help. What if I had? She could've gone on a rampage or something! She could've _killed_ people!"

Tsunade was silent for a moment, the glow now gone from her hands. Stern brown eyes met conflicted silver, and in an unusual show of tenderness, the Hokage's right hand cupped the Chuunin's cheek and her left rested on her shoulder. Bending over so that their faces were level, Tsunade smiled slightly before saying softly, "But you didn't, did you? You chose instead to die, and it was only sheer luck that saved you. Despite what you may think, you control that power within you, it _doesn't_ control you. Understand?"

After staring at her for a few more seconds, Tsunade straightened and walked over to look out of the small, barred window.

Kokoro didn't know what to think. She used to see herself as a strong, independent ninja who didn't take shit from anyone. In a way, she guessed she was still like that. Throw Midori into the mix though, and she was instantly transformed into a weak, scared little girl who didn't know what to do. Who was the Hokage kidding? She spent every waking minute afraid that Midori was going to somehow take over. If that's controlling power, then she was a goldfish.

Then again... back when that Akatsuki guy cornered them, she was able to use Midori's power without any of her input. Sure, she wasn't _fully_ in control, but it was way better than becoming a mindless tool of destruction. She was even able to protect Naruto! Maybe...

"Oh, and by the way, starting today you're a Jounin,"

"C-come again?!"

OOooOOooOO

"Not a chance,"

"But, Neji, it is a wonderful training exercise! If Kakashi-sensei is willing to help Gai-sensei-"

"I don't know if I'd call that willing..." Sakura mumbled, looking at her sensei with a mixture of pity and disgust.

"-than you should be willing to help too!"

"I will not ride piggy-back,"

"Fine, then I shall carry the lovely Sakura and TenTen's bags!" Lee announced, bounding to his teammate's side to collect the luggage.

"I can carry it myself, you weirdo,"

"You can have mine," Sakura called, tossing her pack to a grateful Rock Lee.

"Thank you, wonderful, beautiful, youthful Sakura! My heart burns with the joy of knowing you approve of my training!" he cried, tears streaming down his face.

"Alright, Lee! The first to Konoha wins! Go!" Gai yelled, running off into the sunset carrying a very uncomfortable looking Kakashi.

"It looks even weirder in motion," TenTen groaned, looking ready to kill her team minus the level-headed Neji.

"Let's go," Naruto said, trudging through the dust cloud left by the spandex-wearers.

"Hey, Kokoro will be fine,"

"Yeah, stop worrying. I've never met her, but from what you, Ino, and TenTen have said, I get the impression she's made of stern stuff,"

"Naruto's right, we should get back to the village as soon as possible,"

"Well, aren't you a hopeful bastard," TenTen muttered, but followed nonetheless.

OOooOOooOO

"Remove your mask,"

"Yes, Lady Hokage," the ANBU said, removing his cat-like mask to reveal murky brown hair and dark, almond eyes.

"Your name will remain Tenzō for this mission, as it is only going to last a week or so,"

"Yes, Lady Hokage," he deadpanned.

"Are you aware of the spirit that resides in Kokoro Haratsuchi?"

"Yes, Lady Hokage,"

"Good," she said, never once looking away from her office window. "I understand that your talent for controlling tailed-beasts doesn't extend to Kokoro, but you're the closest thing to a specialist I could come up with. You are to help her train in the old ANBU interrogation chamber, this is a must as no plants can be in the vicinity. She is going to attempt to make contact with the spirit inside her, without being possessed, and learn to control its power. You are to assist her in any way you can. Understand?"

"Yes, Lady Hokage. If I may ask, you said that this mission would only last around a week, however the goal is to essentially make peace with a malevolent spirit. Shouldn't that take much longer?"

"Normally it would," the Hokage admitted, allowing the corners of her mouth to turn up a little. "But if she can do it in the allotted time, which is a week, I'll take back her promotion and confine her to two months of B and C-ranks. She probably won't be able to do it in a week, but she'll definitely get it done under two,"

"This girl... she sounds strange,"

"Oh, she is. But she has the village's best interests in mind. Now, you'll start tomorrow at eight o'clock. Be here half an hour early for any last-minute details. Dismissed,"

"Yes, Lady Hokage," Tenzō said, bowing before he disappeared.

Strange... yes, that was certainly a word to describe Kokoro. She was one of the strongest kunoichi in her age group, maybe even the village if she were to put her mind to it, yet she was terrified of Midori and therefore terrified of becoming stronger.

Too bad she was going to have to face her fears in order to 'protect' the village.

Tsunade could be really cunning when she wanted to, and quite frankly she looked forward to officially promoting Kokoro to Jounin.

* * *

**Hopefully, this had tons more plot than the last chappie and confused no one! If you have any questions, just ask! :D **

**Now, I have a special treat for my fellow writers::::**

**The Solution(s) to Writers' Block**

**1) A very strong emotion. For me, anger works best, which is why this chappie was done so quickly. **

**2) Ask a random person for an equally random word, such as tourniquet, and then try to incorporate that word into your writing somewhere. **

**3) Make three short lists- one of things that need to happen, one of things you want to happen, and one of things that are random and hold no purpose. Then pick one from each list and try to incorporate all of them into your chappie. **

**Hope that helped, don't forget about the poll. I've had one person vote, one only. If you don't want Naruto to end up with Koko, then I suggest you pay my profile a visit. **

**Until next time! :D **


	15. Chapter 15- Beware the Oddity

**If Koko seems OOC it's because she's just now getting to know herself, is dealing with issues in her head, and while scared shitless is still, at the core, a very brave ninja. So yeah.**

**Also, my timing with Pein might be a bit off. Oops. I don't really care. And Tobi will be Madara and when he's not in his Tobi persona he will be addressed as 'Leader-sama' because that's just easier on me. **

**Most of this was written while I was in a pissy mood, so any underlying negativity is the result of that. Oh, and the whole garden thing is loosely based on a dream I had. So prepare for weirdness and moments of 'why the hell am I reading this again?'. If you lose faith in this story, I completely understand. :D No hard feelings. **

**Enjoy. Or don't. I really don't care. **

* * *

**"Take it from me: If you hear the past speaking to you, feel it tugging up your back and running its fingers up your spine, the best thing to do-the only thing-is run." ****― Lauren Oliver, **_**Deliriu****m**_

* * *

On her way to the Hokage's office, Kokoro realized something she hadn't before.

Konoha was beautiful.

It wasn't just that the morning sun shone its rays onto the Hokage Mountain in just the right way to create an image out of a fairy tale, or that what little sunlight was available was filtered dreamily through the thick trees, or even the fresh, clean air that she had previously breathed so callously, or even casual buildings that looked as if they had always been there. Oh no, it went beyond that.

Konoha's true beauty lay in its people.

Most of the population was awake by this time, but out of the few that were actually out most were shop owners preparing their businesses for the day. Kokoro saw an old man stoop down with his cane and help a poor woman whose cabbages fell, and a child stop and apologize for knocking an even younger girl to the ground, and a group of mothers watching their children play ninja.

Why?

Kokoro stopped and stared at the park, at a loss.

Why would those women want their children to grow up and become trained killers? There was nothing fun about being a ninja, every day your life is in danger, every day you risked the news that someone you cared for wasn't good enough and paid the price, every day you fought to protect people you didn't even know.

Somewhere, deep inside of her, Kokoro had always felt resentful of the Hokage. What kind of person robbed a child of their innocence by asking them to kill and expected complete obedience? Why hadn't anyone come forward and warned the classes at the ninja academy that it _wasn't_ all fun and games? Being a ninja wasn't about running from tree to tree to get away from friends armed with cardboard shurikens, it was about being prepared to die for the sake of people you didn't know existed!

On reflex, Kokoro reached up and grabbed a stray 'shuriken' that was headed for the street, alerting the children to her presence.

Moments later, a group of big-eyed, wild-haired, gapped-smiled seven year-olds were circled around her.

"Woah..." a blonde girl with pigtails said, her mouth hanging open.

"But it was going so fast! How did she catch it?" another girl, this time with dark green hair.

"I saw her! She just reached out an' grabbed it!" A ruddy ginger-haired boy.

"Hey, miss-" Brown, messy-haired...

"-are you a-" ...wide, teal-eyed...

"-ninja?" ...twin boys.

It hurt. It almost physically _hurt_ to look at them. Images of Takara flooded her mind, mixing with the boys to create the worst image possible.

Blood-caked hair, dull eyes, mouth still open from a scream no one heard...

"Yes, and I'm sorry but I have a meeting to get to. Be more careful next time, we wouldn't want you running in the street, now would we?"

...one of them by the other's side, mourning, crying, _screaming_...

Everything after that was a blur. She ran into a small wood and collapsed against a tree, hands shaking and breathing unsteady.

...one murdered and the other a murderer.

"That didn't happen... it was just my imagination... those kids probably won't even go into the ninja academy... they're safe..." she mumbled, staring at the hands still covered in blood that wasn't there.

_"You killed me just like you killed your sister. Where did you think you were? You're in your own hell,"_

She didn't; it wasn't her. That Nara killed Takara, Midori killed the dream-Naruto, no one had killed those little boys!

**Yet**, a voice whispered in the back of her mind. **Death waits for no one; those boys _will_ die. The question is... who will kill them? Will it be you? Or maybe me? Or maybe a random enemy shinobi you failed to defeat?**

"Stop. Stop it. Leave me alone!"

**Whats wrong? Am I bothering you?**

"You know what? Fuck you. I'm not listening to you anymore. Just shut up already," Kokoro commanded, becoming irrationally angry at the _thing_ in her head.

Actually, she found it completely rational. It was trying to screw with her, hence it deserved whatever she felt like giving it.

And she had quite a lot to give it.

OOooOOooOO

"She's not usually late," Tsunade said, gazing out her office window as she often did when things got serious. It calmed her down, being able to see _her_ village bursting with life and joy and laughter.

"You don't think something happened to her, do you, Lady Hokage?"

"I don't-"

Suddenly, interrupting the Hokage, the door flew open, revealing a rather odd sight.

Instead of a calm and collected kunoichi, the room's occupants were faced a with a thoroughly pissed off teenager holding two swords.

For a moment, Tsunade reflected on the miracle that Kokoro hadn't been arrested, what with the weapon-wielding and murderous-glaring and all.

"Lady Tsunade, why the _hell_ did two ANBU ambush me on my way to your office?"

"Did you look anything like you do now?"

"Yeah, except I didn't have my swords out," she grumbled, sheathing them as she spoke. "They forced me to do that,"

"Probably because you look ready to kill someone and their duty is to protect me from people radiating such desires," the Hokage said dryly, noticing a blade of grass sticking out of her dark braid.

Tenzō, however, was wondering something completely different. "If I may, what happened to the ANBU guards that confronted you?"

"Oh, them? They're currently looking out for people wishing to do the Hokage harm," Kokoro said cryptically, a satisfied gleam in her eyes. "All it took was a few seconds to convince them I'm a loyal kunoichi of the Hidden Leaf Village,"

Right then and there, Tenzō decided that he never wanted to get on the girl's bad side while she was angry.

"Anyway, are you the one who's going to help me shut the bitch in my head up?"

"Er, yes, I suppose so. My name is Tenzō,"

"Kokoro," she nodded, all anger and emotion fading from her features.

OOooOOooOO

The interrogation room, to be blunt, was dreary, creepy, and made Tenzō's ninja senses scream 'Get out, fool!' and he wondered briefly if everyone's ninja senses talked.

"This is it?"

"Yeah. It isn't really cheery, but it did use to be an interrogation room so that's expected,"

"Good. No plants. Nothing for _her_ to take over. So, how are we going to do this?"

"Unfortunately, there's not much I can do," he admitted, sitting cross-legged against one of the cold, stone walls. "You, on the other hand, have to go into your mind-scape, make contact with Midori, and either force her to submit to you or come to some sort of truce. I, personally, have no idea how to do any of that,"

"So, basically, you're here in case she runs rampant in my body because you have the most experience in this field because of your relation the the First Hokage?"

"Yeah, pretty much. You can get started whenever you're ready. I have food and water for when you need it,"

"Okay, thanks," Kokoro said, mimicking his posture in the middle of the room and closing her eyes.

Tenzō had known it was going to be boring, but just sitting and waiting for a possession that might never occur was even worse than he had imagined. Oh well. If it was his mission there was nothing he could do to change that.

OOooOOooOO

Opening her eyes, Kokoro took a moment to appreciate how beautiful the inside of her head was.

It was basically a garden. A really, really impressive garden filled with more plants than she thought possible. Everywhere she looked, there were more and more and even _more_ of the colorful things. Red ones, blue ones, pink ones, rainbow ones, _sparkling_ ones, climbing ones, big ones, little ones, all over the place.

The only clear area Kokoro could see was a narrow, cobblestone path that disappeared into the horizon.

The horizon her head.

And why the hell were there sparkling flowers?

"So I'm a nutcase," she muttered. "I could've done a worse job than freakish flowers,"

Without further hesitation, she began to walk down the path. Every couple of yards, there was a giant, full tree that seemed to sparkle in the sunlight.

The sunlight in her head.

God this was weird.

As she continued to walk, Kokoro couldn't help but stare. It was almost magical, how peaceful the garden was. A soft breeze- inside her _head_- played with the flowers and tree branches, making them sway. She could even hear the faint sounds of a small stream somewhere near by- _in_ her _head_- and the chirping of some birds.

At least, it was peaceful until an adorable ball of fluff hurled itself into her arms.

"The actual fu-"

She broke off mid-curse when she looked down and saw the most piercing pair of dark blue eyes she had ever seen.

Kneeling, she held out the ball of white fluff to examine it and found cutest, whitest, most tamed fox she could imagine.

It was about the length of her forearm without the tail- the most fluffy tail in _existence_- and its tongue was lolling out of its sparkling, pointy teeth-filled mouth in an almost idiotic way. Before Kokoro could even begin to wonder what to do with it, it wriggled free and leapt onto her shoulder, its tail wrapping around her neck.

Apparently satisfied, it yipped, licked her face, and magically stayed balanced when she stood up.

"Well, you're obviously not going to budge. Fine then, magical fox that resides in my head, do you want a name?"

Another yip.

"Okay. I'll call you Horoki, **[pride]** sound good?" she asked, knowing full well that foxes were very proud creatures and thus took their names very seriously.

Another lick to the face.

"Gah, stop it! I'm on a mission. If you're going to follow me around my own head, then you have to promise me to stop that, understood?"

This time, a slight whimper was her only response.

"Oh, get a grip you big baby. Those are the rules. Got it?"

Maybe it was her imagination, but it sounded like the next yip was slightly sulky.

Or maybe she was crazy. She was, after all, talking to a fox inside her head while walking down a path inside her head and wondering when she was going to meet the other _thing_ inside her head.

OOooOOooOO

"I just came to make something clear,"

"Yes, Leader-sama?" the orange-haired man covered with piercings asked.

"When it's time to capture the Nine-Tails jinchuuriki, he will most likely be close to a female who gives off the illusion that she is also a jinchuuriki,"

"The illusion? So she's not?" Konan wondered, looking quizzically at her old friend.

"Not even close. After looking into it, I came to the conclusion that her power level is less than one-tenth of the One-Tails,"

There was a slight pause as the two observed their leader. For that girl to even interest Tobi- or Leader-sama- enough for him to look into it, one would've thought she'd be powerful enough to aid their plans at least a little.

"She is worthless; she is trash. If you see her, kill her to get the Nine-Tails jinchuuriki,"

OOooOOooOO

"Naruto, calm-"

"No! I will not calm down!"

Heaving a weary sigh, Kakashi contemplated making a sign that read 'Calm the _hell_ down, Naruto!' so that he could just wave it around when necessary. Which was frequent. As in every-time-they-ran-towards-something frequent.

"Look, I'm tired, you're tired, everyone's tired. We are stopping for the night if I have to knock you unconscious. Clear? Good,"

"Besides," TenTen said. "We'll get there by tomorrow evening!"

* * *

**Okay, so I know things are getting weird, but I promise the whole Midori thing will be resolved in the next chappie and then we can get back to the ninja kickass-ness. So bear with me, kay? **

**So far I've had votes for Naruto and Kiba. **

**Until next time. **

**:( Sorry for my moodiness and the crap that is this chappie. **


	16. Chapter 16

**This is kind of a filler chapter, but I wanted to post something soon and this wasn't needed in the plot-filled beast that's coming out...soon-ish. **

* * *

Tenzō, if he was being honest with himself, was starting to panic.

It had been nearly eight hours since Kokoro's form had slumped forward, and the girl had yet to wake up.

He had called her name several times around noon, trying to get her attention, but ultimately gave up with the thought that if she got hungry or needed anything, she would snap out of it on her own.

At five-thirty in the afternoon, however, Tenzō decided that it was time to call it quits for the day and proceeded to get up and shake Kokoro's shoulders gently, to no avail. Assuming that she was just really deep in her mindscape, he shook her a little harder.

Ten minutes later, and she still wasn't up.

"Lady Hokage is going to kill me..." he muttered, observing the girl with a critical eye.

For the first time, he really took in her appearance. Long masses of black hair thrown in a side braid, skin a few shades darker than his own, slightly... _revealing_ clothes, and- were those sparkles in her hair?

Shaking himself- he felt like a creeper- Tenzō tried to think of another way to get her out of her own head.

Coming up with nothing, he crouched in front of her and pulled up her eyelids, trying to to see if her pupils dilated.

Nothing. Just flat, silver irises.

And then her eyes slid open of her own accord, widening slightly at his close proximity before narrowing.

"Is there a reason you're in my face?"

"Just trying to wake you up," he said smoothly. "You've been out of it for over eight hours. I was starting to think Midori had done something,"

"Nope. All I did was walk in a seemingly endless garden with a freakish fox perched on my shoulder,"

"It's a start, I guess. You hungry?" he asked, having decided long ago that some things just weren't worth commenting on.

"Nah. I'm going to head home, if that's okay with you,"

"Sure. Get some rest and meet back here at nine tomorrow, okay?"

OOooOOooOO

"Ino! Time to close up!"

"Okay, mom!" she called, throwing down her magazine before mumbling under her breath, "It's about time, you slave driver,"

"I heard that, young lady!"

"No you didn't, you're just assuming that I said something disrespectful!"

"Did you?" Ayano Yamanaka demanded. **[anyone know Ino's mom's name?]**

"No!"

"Well then, I apologize,"

"As you should!" the blonde huffed, practically stomping over to flip the sign indicating they were open over to say 'CLOSED' in big, red letters. A small smile grew on her face at her mother's expense. Just as she reached the cash register again, the bell over the door chimed, signaling someone had entered.

"I'm sorry, but we- Kiba? Why are you here, you big idiot?"

"Hey! I'm not an idiot! Right, Akamaru?"

Silence.

"See? Even your dog agrees!"

"Yeah, yeah," Kiba said, rolling his eyes. "Anyway, have you seen Kokoro?"

Unfortunately for the male, he didn't notice the sudden spark in Ino's blue eyes as she moved behind the counter.

"Kokoro? Hmm..."

"Well?"

"Impatient fellow, aren't you?" she smirked, leaning over the counter with her chin in her hands. This was an interesting development. Maybe the poor guy really _did_ have crush on their dear little flower.

"Come on, it's a simple question!"

Akamaru, this time, seemed to agree with his master as he gave a loud bark and looked at Ino right in the eye, causing her to blink in surprise.

Huh. Maybe the dog was more intelligent than she gave him credit for. He must have smelt the emotions Kiba felt around her or something.

"Why are you so curious about Kokoro? And what makes you think I'd know?"

"None of your business-"

Oh, she had him there! Proof! Sakura- and probably Naruto, for that matter- would have a field day with this!

"-and I figured you'd know since you dragged her to the gathering and always visited her while she was in the hospital,"

"Putting the matter at hand aside for a moment, why did you visit her so often yourself?" Ino asked, scanning Kiba's face for any sign of weakness.

"...That's not important,"

It took all of the blonde's self-control not to grin in triumph. And all this time she thought he didn't have eyes for anyone other than Hinata.

"I see..."

"Great. Now, have you seen her?"

Not yet, but she would.

OOooOOooOO

Groaning inwardly at the flare of chakra coming from her apartment, Kokoro bent down so she could fish out her key from under Naruto's welcome mat- hey, no one would think to look for it there- and found her thoughts drawn to the hyperactive ninja. Tsunade had said he was out on an important mission, but refused to say anything else on the subject. What was he doing? Was he okay? Was he annoying the hell out of anyone?

Yeah, stupid question. She wasn't sure it was possible for him _not_ to annoy someone to death.

Kokoro made her way to her own apartment, and it was all she could do to not draw her swords and run the meddling blonde through.

Unfortunately, she had to push that to the back of her thoughts as she faced the owner of the chakra signature she had sensed outside.

"Ino, why the _fuck_ are you in my apartment?"

"Aw, what's wrong?" the intruder asked, looking entirely too comfortable sitting on the small recliner that adorned the front room. From the underlying tone, Kokoro could tell she was both excited about something and pissed off at someone. "Did something happen at the hospital? I wouldn't know because _you didn't come visit me,_ so feel free to tell me everything,"

Well shit.

"Er-"

"Or _maybe_ you would like to talk about why you look half dead-"

"Ino-"

"-or why _Kiba_ was looking for you-"

"Seriously-"

"-or why an eighteen year-old kunoichi needs little ol' me to _babysit_ her because she doesn't know how to take care of herself, how about that?" Ino practically shrieked, jumping to her feet and marching over to Kokoro, only to confuse her when she grabbed her arm and pulled her to the chair. "Sit,"

"What? Ino-"

"_Sit_,"

Whether it was her desire to get the visit over with or the downright scary tone Ino was currently hissing in, Kokoro didn't know, but she sat down without another word.

"Now, first thing's first... why the _hell_ didn't you even bother to tell me you were out of the hospital? I mean, not to be _rude _or anything, because goodness knows _that'd_ be awful, but I _did_ come visit you every chance I got, even if it was only to replace the flowers I had _previously_ brought you. Not to mention the fact that _I_ was the one who was worried _sick_ about you! You were in dreamland, Naruto left before you came in, most of the others were too busy with missions and training, but not me! Oh no! I took time out of _my_ day- my very busy day, I might add- to visit your brain-dead body! And what's the thanks I get? Kiba running to my shop at an ungodly time this morning yelling that you were awake!"

As Ino continued to rant with her hands on her hips, Kokoro could only sit and stare at her in awe, a warm feeling blossoming in her chest.

"And I thought that _maybe_, just _maybe_, you would drop by on your own. I mean, we _are_ friends, and _friends_ usually tell each other when they get out of the goddamn _hospital_ after being in a coma for more than a week! But no, not a word! I mean, what was going through your head? Didn't you even stop to think that I'd be worried about you? Grade-A poison, Kokoro, _Grade-A_!"

By this time, the blonde's voice was at least three pitches higher and two times louder, but Kokoro couldn't bring herself to complain.

She... had actually _worried_ about her.

The thought was almost too much for her to comprehend, so instead of trying to come up with a coherent sentence, she practically launched herself into Ino's arms, hugging the poor girl with all of her strength and causing her mouth to drop open.

"Ko-Kokoro- what...?"

As quickly as it was initiated, she pulled away and took her seat.

"I'm sorry. You may continue now,"

"But- you- why- ah, screw it. I'm not mad anymore. Now, you go get on your pajamas, I'll make some tea, and then we'll move on to more pressing matters,"

"More pressing matters?"

"Yes," Ino said, grinning. "Like Kiba,"

* * *

**The next time I update, it will be the end of all the Midori madness. Like, the very end. She'll meet her (in her head) and shit will get real. It might take me longer to post though because what I have planned is looooong. So look forward to a monster chappie! :D**

**Oh, and for future reference, Horoki is a fox. I mixed it up in my head and referred to him as a wolf, but he's a fox. :P Oops. **


	17. Chapter 17

**POINTLESS EXPLANATIONS::**

**1) I was grounded for a week**

**2) I started High School and it's kicking my ass already**

**3) My step-mom gave birth on the 29th**

**4) My computer deleted 10 pages worth of writing**

**CONCLUSION:**

**Life's a bitch. Enjoy the not-so-monster chappie I (didn't) promise. **

**(TT . TT I'm so sorry) **

* * *

At eight o'clock in the evening, life found Kokoro dragging her feet dejectedly through the village. Normally, she would just leap off of rooftops and stick to the shadows, but another day of walking in a sparkly garden with a magic fox had left her mentally exhausted and she wasn't sure if she could handle something like that, not with the weird mood she was in. She was feeling unusually talkative and… not _chipper_, exactly, but different from normal, which was odd because of the situation. Shouldn't she be angry? Frustrated? Shouldn't she be asking herself thought-provoking questions, such as why Midori had chosen now, of all times, to become anti-social? Why wasn't she showing herself? She had no qualms about pestering her when she was on the brink of death, so what was holding her back? Was she that much of a coward?

**Maybe I just like messing with you. **

Kokoro's footsteps faltered at the smug voice, but she refused to respond.

**Oh, come on. You can't blame me for wanting a little bit of fun.**

She wouldn't- _wouldn't_- give her the satisfaction of replying. She needed to think of something else. Something boring, something uninteresting, something she already knew all about.

A memory.

_"Kiba?"_

_"Yes! Now, go get on your pajamas!"_

_"Why- nevermind. You know what? I give up. Congratulations, Ino, you've destroyed my will to resist," she sighed, standing up. _

_"Good, took me long enough," _

**You know, she's a good friend. **

Huh? Was Midori- dammit! It didn't matter!

**Haha. **

Was it wrong that she could practically see the demented _thing _sticking its tongue out?

_"So, what about Kiba?"_

_"He likes you," Ino sang, grinning widely._

_"Eh?"_

_"You heard me,"_

_"What- do you even- how did you come to that conclusion?!" she spluttered. _

_"He came to visit you in the hospital, I asked him manipulative questions, which he answered _brilliantly_ by the way, he's an obvious idiot, his dog agrees..."_

**That logic even sounds flawed to me.**

_"I can guarantee he doesn't like me like that!" Kokoro protested, glaring at the infuriatingly cheery tea-sipping-blond in front of her._

_"Oh, really?"_

_"Yes. In the hospital, I broke his wrist. He's probably just curious and wants to know what was wrong with me,"_

_"Now, now. No need to get defensive. Besides, he really _was_ worried about you,"_

"Kokoro! There you are!" a loud voice called from behind her.

Speak, or even think, of the devil, and he shall appear, his big-ass dog trotting behind him.

"I've been looking for you-"

"That's nice; you're coming with me," she interrupted, grabbing his arm and beginning to drag him off towards the training ground she used as a Genin as soon as the boy- and his hellhound of a dog- reached her.

"Huh? No, I needed to-"

"So, here's the plan. I'm going to stand in front of you, and you're going to attack me with the intent to kill. Got it?"

For a moment, Kiba just allowed himself to be manhandled, his eyes dramatically wide.

"Oh _shit_, you are suicidal,"

ѲѲɸɸѲѲɸɸѲѲ

"We're almost there,"

Silence.

"We'll be there in half an hour,"

No response.

"We're sorry for holding you up?"

Nothing.

Sakura sighed, shaking her head as she gave up. Who would have thought _Naruto_ was capable of the silent treatment? Normally, she would've already knocked some sense into him, but since there was a possibility that someone he was close to was... dead... she decided to let it go.

For the moment.

Her fists were tingling, after all, and even she wouldn't keep them away from something they wanted.

ѲѲɸɸѲѲɸɸѲѲ

"Look, there's a better way!" he blurted, causing his abductor to glance over her shoulder.

"Huh?"

Kiba, misinterpreting her baffled look for confusion on how there was a _better way, _dug his feet into the ground and spun her around so he could practically glare into her eyes.

"There is always a better way!"

"A better way for what?"

"You know... A better way. So don't do _that_,"

Kiba was glad he never claimed to be eloquent. All the same, she _needed_ to understand that there was a _better way._

"Don't do... Huh?"

Though he'd be damned if he knew what it was.

"There's still stuff that's important!"

And there's that eloquence rearin' its head again.

What are you even talking about?!"

"Life- living- not hurting or killing yourself-"

"Wait... You think..."

There was a moment of silence before Kokoro burst into roaring laughter.

"It's not funny! You're gonna throw your life- _stop laughing_, dammit!"

By now, the poor girl was having to hold on to the Inuzuka's arm for support.

"You think- you thought- you _really_ got it into your head that- haha!"

How could she laugh at something this serious? He was trying to save her goddamn life and all she could do was _laugh_? Though, now that he thought about it, he couldn't remember her ever laughing in his presence…

"Shut up!" he shouted, and Kokoro somehow managed to reign in enough self-control to stand on her own, though she was still struggling not to laugh. As it was, only a few giggles escaped as she stood in front of the furious Chunin.

"I'm sorry- it's just that you're such an idiot-"

"_Why the hell did you find that so funny_?"

"Look, the only time I ever contemplated suicide- did you seriously just _flinch_?- was before I was sent on a mission with that annoying loudmouth. Since then, I've been fine,"

Oh.

"So... You're not gonna..."

"Hell no! You think I want Ino to drag me from the afterlife just so she can kick my ass right back to it? No thanks," Kokoro chuckled, still looking highly amused.

Akamaru, apparently deciding to join the conversation, let out a loud bark and a small whine.

"Yeah, that's right! What about your smell?"

She blinked.

"Look, I have _no_ clue what you're talking about, but how about we go spar? Despite the good mood your idiocy put me in, I'm still in need of a stress reliever. It's easier if you do it willingly, but I won't hesitate to just attack you,"

Kiba, on the other hand, _did_ hesitate. The only reason he'd spent so much time looking for her was that he was afraid for her wellbeing, and while she brushed it off as if it were nothing he still wasn't convinced. Akamaru was the absolute best ninja-hound out there, if he said Kokoro was depressed, was damn well depressed.

Of course, he was always better with fighting. Maybe he could get her to loosen up and then talk to her.

Without further ado, a feral grin lit up his features.

"Don't think I'm gonna go easy on you just because you're a girl; I'm gonna destroy you,"

ѲѲɸɸѲѲɸɸѲѲ

It took all of Naruto's self-control not to bust out three hundred shadow clones to search for Kokoro the second he stepped into the gate.

In fact, it took all of his self-control _and_ Sakura grabbing his ear to drag him to the old lady.

"Idiot! We have to give our report, and Kakashi-sensei still needs to be taken to the hospital!"

"But-"

"No buts!"

They just didn't understand, they didn't get how far gone she had been before. It was so bad, it had taken _three_ _weeks_ to get her to open up. Three. Weeks. Most of the poor, unfortunate souls he saved with a good dose of ass-whoop were cured or well on their way after a few days! Hell, the old hag had taken the longest at a little over a week, not counting Sasuke.

Sasuke.

The one person that he so desperately wanted to save, yet the only one that he couldn't.

For a while, Naruto had been afraid that he'd lost his touch, that he wouldn't be able to help anyone else.

That he was a failure.

But then, by some miracle, Kokoro had gotten it through her thick head that she wasn't a tool, that she was human, a person, someone with feelings who ought to be treasured, not an expressionless ANBU-like figure who only existed to do the dirty work of the village.

Naruto wasn't stupid, nor anywhere near as naïve as people believed. He understood what the ANBU were, what they stood for. He understood that they were, as much as he hated it, necessary.

He understood how quickly they died.

Kokoro wasn't an ANBU though. She didn't have to be that way. She had a chance to fix it, had a chance to correct the lack of emotion, and had a chance to _live_.

He had truly thought she would be okay, that Ino and the others would take care of her- hell, one of the few times he heard her really laugh was when Ino demanded _his_ money to buy Kokoro a new set of cups- and that even if the Akatsuki got their slimy hands on him, it would be alright.

And then stupid Gin-me went and got herself poisoned.

"Naruto, the sooner we get it done the sooner you can see her,"

"TenTen?" he whined, looking heartbreakingly betrayed. "You too? I need-"

"She's fine,"

Everyone turned and stared, and Naruto swore that his heart stopped.

"Are you all daft? I have the Byakugan. She's currently in the forest area surrounding training field number seventeen with Kiba and Akamaru,"

She was alive. Hell, she was _better_ than alive. She was okay, not dead, fine, well enough to train, healthy, not dead, not dead, _not dead_.

With a wild yell of joy, Naruto ripped his ear free of Sakura's iron grip and charged Neji with the full intent to hug him, one of the poor souls he had saved with a good old fashioned fist to the jaw, to death.

"Idiot!"

Whimpering slightly as he nursed his wounded head, Naruto took the time to actually look around for the first time since entering the gates. Sometime during his inner rambling session, some figures had disappeared.

"Ne, Sakura, where'd Lee, Gai-sensei, and Kakashi-sensei go?"

"_Idiot_!"

ѲѲɸɸѲѲɸɸѲѲ

Kiba, Kokoro decided, was a rather dull opponent.

It wasn't that he was awful, more that he relied way too heavily on Akamaru and their Fang Over Fang technique, something that she thought was pointless considering she'd danced around it every time for the past ten minutes.

If only he would do something different, something spontaneous, something that would catch her off guard.

"You're so bad I bet I could read a book and still beat you,"

Hm. Maybe Kakashi was rubbing off on her a little...

What a scary thought.

Suddenly, it seemed as if Kiba- or Akamaru, she really couldn't tell- was moving in slow motion and she found herself unable to move.

She could see every little turn, every change in facial expression, _everything_. Somehow, that made the experience even more surreal. There was just something morbidly _magical_ about watching your attacker's eyes slowly widen in the realization that a collision with a person you didn't really want to hurt was impossible to prevent.

It was exhilarating.

Just as suddenly, everything went back to normal speed.

**Whoops.**

Once again Kokoro froze at the sound of Midori's voice, eliminating any chance of evading the attack that was no doubt only meant as a distraction.

Right before the whirling-mass-of-pain struck her, something else slammed into her back, barely pushing her out of harm's way. As Akamaru- because Kokoro was fairly certain the dog couldn't curse like the weight on her back was- crashed into the ground and created a trench right next to her, she said nonchalantly,

"Good strategy, getting behind me like that,"

"Good strategy? _Good strategy_?" Kiba practically screamed in her ear as he, quite roughly, yanked her to her feet. "What the hell happened?! One minute you were fine, and the next you were frozen-"

Seeing that her sparring partner's rant had no end in sight, Kokoro contented herself with making a big show of creating a giant, brick wall in her mind, trying to prove that _she_ didn't have control over anything. There was no way in bloody hell that Midori could affect her sight, she was merely tired and hallucinating.

**I said whoops...**

Dammit, she forgot about the confession. Couldn't the creature let her hold on to her delusions, at least until she was alone?

"Are you even listening to me?!"

"Nope. Hey, did you know that Akamaru is capable of human expressions when he's spinning too fast for anyone's eyes to normally follow? I think he's more human than some ninjas I could name..."

"You- you're insane," Kiba stuttered, looking like he was seeing her for the first time.

"Probably clinically so," she agreed, smiling with practiced false cheer at him. "Oi! Akamaru! Sorry 'bout that! I'll buy you some treats or something later, okay?"

The only answer she received was a slightly disgruntled bark as the ninja-hound made its way back to its master.

"You're insane,"

"Completely and utterly," Kokoro said dryly. Who else tried to convince themselves that reality wasn't real?

"_Insane_,"

"Yes, I think we've gone over that,"

Really, how hard was to understand? Maybe Akamaru and Kiba switched souls at some point...

At that moment, Kiba started laughing, thoroughly cutting off that potentially informative train of thought.

"Did you hit your head?"

"No, but if I did it would've been while I was saving _your_ sorry ass!"

"Ne, you don't like it?" she asked, looking over her shoulder to stare at her own backside.

Distract him with something so out of character that he wouldn't notice anything. Not the falseness, not her odd comment, not her weird mood, and certainly not the tattoo that was slowly fading from her arm.

More guffaws.

"Your laughter is starting to take on a slightly hysterical edge, are you sure you're alright?"

"Yes!" he snapped, then tilted his head towards Akamaru and appeared listen to something he said. "You're not off the hook yet! You claimed to not be suicidal-"

"Oh, for the love of-"

"-but you allowed yourself to get caught in a dangerous jutsu-"

"Dangerous my _fine_ ass,"

"- which had the potential to kill you-"

"From laughter,"

"-and from your obvious dismissive attitude-"

"If it's so obvious, why are you still attempting to 'reason' with me?"

"-I can only conclude that you are, indeed, slightly suicidal, and you need someone to keep an eye on you at all times in case you succumb to your twisted desires," Kiba concluded, shocking her into silence.

"Holy shit. You sounded halfway intelligent,"

Holy shit. Someone besides Ino and Naruto cared.

ѲѲɸɸѲѲɸɸѲѲ

It had taken too long, much too long, for Tsunade to let them leave, almost to the point of Naruto dropping his happy façade just so he could shock her into letting him escape.

Sure, the old lad had promised Kokoro was fine, but he couldn't believe it until he saw her with his own eyes.

What if she was faking? What if she was going to relapse? What if it was all a lie?

If he was being honest with himself, Naruto knew he was being irrational. Of course Kokoro was fine- the girl could kick his ass any day of the week- and there was no way Tsunade would let anyone out of the hospital if they weren't recovered. On top of that, he was willing to bet Ino would see right through any attempt to fool anyone, as intense as she was.

Pulling up short as he reached the seventeenth training ground, Naruto had to resist the urge to fall on his knees with the combined forces of relief, amusement, and wearniness.

She was fine.

She was insulting Kiba's intelligence.

They had been sparring.

She was safe, both from the poison and her emotional lapse after her twin's death.

She was normal, at least, as normal as she could be.

Naruto didn't realized how utterly spent he was until the edges of his vision turned grey and the whole world went sideways.

ѲѲɸɸѲѲɸɸѲѲ

Tsunade sighed, downing yet another bottle of sake. The council could be so annoying at times.

Really, was it too much to ask for one of her decisions to go unquestioned? She had heard complaints on just about everything, ranging from her choice of clothing to her personal staff to her betting on the job (really, what was she supposed to do? That Haratsuchi brat was stubborn!) all the way down to her forming 'Team Kakashi'.

She honestly didn't see what was wrong with that one. There was a Team Gai, Team Asuma, Team Kurenai, Team This, and Team That, what was so bad about a Team Kakashi?

Oh, right. A jinchurriki for a frontline fighter, a half-dead irresponsible brat (who possessed the Sharingan and enough gall to defy the council) for a leader, and a pink-headed kunoichi who could kill someone with a single punch and would follow the other two anywhere.

Yeah, maybe they weren't as stupid. Still stupid, yes, but they did have a fair point.

Of course, they were willing to let it slide- but not quietly, god forbid that- until they saw- damn formalities, causing her plans to be exposed- that she was planning on Kokoro Haratsuchi being the fourth member.

Sighing once more, Tsunade stood up and looked out her much-loved window and into the quiet night.

When had it all gone wrong? Was it as recent as the damn Uchiha's departure, or as far back as Orochimaru's? Or was it somewhere in the middle, like the Uchiha Massacre? When the ball started rolling downhill, was it a night as calm as tonight? A day as normal as yesterday?

Damn it all. Damn the council, damn the ninja world, damn politics, damn that snake Orochimaru, damn that _other_ snake Danzō…

Danzō.

He was the one who came up with a solution to the nonexistent problem.

Finding out who he picked to spy on Naruto would certainly be interesting.

But she would win; she would come out on top.

One of his major failings was Danzō's inability to see how emotions could be used to an advantage.

As she downed the last of her sake, Tsunade allowed a small smirk to twist her features in a frightening manner unusual for the Fifth Hokage.

Danzō's plans were about to be destroyed by a severely over-protective, highly defensive, dual-blade wielding Jounin.

And the best part was, she would do it unknowingly and without any direction from the busty woman.

ѲѲɸɸѲѲɸɸѲѲ

When Naruto normally woke up, it was a gradual thing- first he became aware of sounds, then his eyes processed light, and then he realized he was conscious and went back to sleep for another half hour.

When Naruto awakened after seeing Kokoro and Kiba arguing, however, it was different.

He was slammed into consciousness with an instinctual sense of danger, one that flooded his mind and screamed at him to _run_.

Unfortunately, when his eyes snapped open he was greeted with two steely glares and two cold faces.

"So, you're awake…"

"Exhaustion. You passed out from _exhaustion_,"

He was so screwed.

"Ne, Gin-me… Sakura… How ya doing?"

**ƈɧą℘℘ıɛ ɛŋɖ :)**

**So, I had the whole Midori thing written out, totally finished, and then the files went and deleted themselves. **

**Bastards. **

**So, because I'm pissed off and lazy, i've come up with a solution- MAJOR CLIFFHANGER! In the next chappie, all will be well with Midori, but you won't know why until later. So ha! Sorry to cheat you out of 10 more pages of plot, though. :/ **

**COMING NEXT CHAPTER::**

**Sai! One of my favorite characters! **

**POLL::**

**I have ten votes, seven for Naruto and one for Shika, Kiba, and Neji each. The poll WILL BE CLOSING AFTER A FEW CHAPPIES WITH SAI. IF YOU HAVEN'T VOTED, THEN HURRY UP. **

**Until next time. :D**


	18. Chapter 18

**Thank you for all the reviews! It's actually thanks to Moon Frost18 that this was posted today- I opted to finish up the last bits instead of starting on Biology homework. So thanks for helping my procrastination issues. ;D**

* * *

**"It only takes a split second to smile and forget, yet to someone that needed it, it can last a lifetime. We should all smile more often."**

**― Steve Maraboli**

* * *

Kokoro didn't know what she would do when she first saw Naruto again. In fact, she'd spent nearly every waking moment forcing herself not to even _think_ about the loudmouthed blond, a decision that cost her the advantage of having a plan.

Not that it really mattered in the long run, considering that by the time she sensed his chakra he was face down on the ground.

After she got over the shock, she actually found it amusing- she shouldn't have expected anything else from the idiot. Of _course_ he would bounce back the village full of unnatural amounts of energy, only to pass out as soon as he was in the gates. Kokoro had to resist the urge to poke at his limp form and laugh.

At the same time, though, she wanted to do nothing less than curl up in a ball and cry.

The Hokage hadn't given details, but what she had gleaned from the woman was grim- the Sand was in danger. For them to call on the Leaf for help, especially after the whole Chunin Exams fiasco, could only mean that their Kazekage was in danger.

It wasn't a secret that Gaara of the Desert was a jinchurriki, leaving very few theories as to what the problem was.

The chances were extremely high that the Akatsuki had gotten to him, which only left the question of _why the actual fuck Tsunade would let Naruto of all people go to their aid._

The woman wasn't so jaded as to let someone go somewhere just because a friend was in danger. If anything, she tended to do the opposite- no need to tempt fate with the amount of control a loved one possessed. Oh no, the only reason she had let Naruto go was because she felt he _had_ to.

And, due to lack of proof and a desire to ignore everything Naruto related and coupled with the threat of her accusations being interpreted as mutiny, Kokoro couldn't do a damn thing.

All her frustration and worrywart-ing occurred in the back of her head, however. There was no way she would have actively thought about him- she had her own problems and that would've complicated things.

Which meant that the almost crippling rush of relief and joy were results of majorly suppressed emotions.

No wonder her moods were all over the place, she had been _subconsciously_ obsessing about Naruto's wellbeing. She was probably on the verge of hysterics, now that she thought about it. Too much had been going on, too much had changed, too much had been _felt_.

It was a miracle she didn't explode or fly into a homicidal rage, really, what with the already stressful Midori issue she was about to go insane over.

Something good had come of the whole ordeal, though.

Kokoro finally met Sakura.

It had been only through conflicting schedules and missions that she hadn't seen her before, though the stories she had heard from both Naruto and Ino didn't make her sound half bad. In fact, if they had been on the same team, they probably would've gotten along swimmingly.

Unfortunately, the first time the two saw each other was when Naruto's teammate burst into his apartment demanding to know why the hell he had disappeared.

OOooOOooOO

All throughout the meeting with Tsunade, Naruto seemed out of it; it was something that had been on her nerves since they had left Suna. Sakura, better than anyone, understood his fierce loyalty to his friends. She knew for a fact that he would do anything within his power to keep any of them safe, even if it was someone they hadn't seen since before Sasuke left.

That didn't explain his near panic attack whenever they were even slightly delayed in their journey back.

There was something he wasn't telling her.

Naruto, while prone to worrying about others over himself, knew when people were able to take care of themselves. He understood that ninjas lead a dangerous lifestyle and anyone, at any time, could be thrust into a possibly deadly situation, it was just something that happened. And, though he may worry for his comrades, he would be able to turn his back on them and complete the mission if he thought they could handle it.

And Sakura was pretty sure that a Chunin two years his senior could handle a bit of poison.

Needless to say that when she got absolutely _no_ response to the recounting of Gaara's revival and Lady Chiyo's death, she immediately grew even more suspicious. It was one thing for Naruto to be distracted by a friend, but when he expressed no emotion over a _close_ friend's death and a fatal sacrifice Sakura knew something else was going on.

And, because he was one of the few things she had left, it scared her.

Before she could corner him, however, he practically fled Tsunade's office.

"Naruto! Wait!" she yelled after him, staring at his retreating figure worriedly when he ignored her.

"That brat..."

"Lady Tsunade, do you know what's wrong with him? Why he's been acting the way he has? Is there... something he hasn't told me about that girl, Kokoro?"

The Hokage didn't reply for a moment, choosing instead to study her student closely.

"Perhaps. The one thing I'll say is this- if Naruto hadn't come along, she would have most likely filed a request to join the ANBU,"

Sakura sucked in a breath, her mind reeling. She had treated many ANBU operatives during her time at the hospital, and some of the injuries they came back with were so horrific that she had wanted to kill them herself just to put them out of their misery. How does someone recover from having their head literally split open, an arm ripped off, and a leg sawed down the middle to the bone?

The people who joined ANBU were either ridiculously naïve or empty shells, and she had a feeling it wasn't the former.

"I-I'm going to go find Naruto. Goodbye, Lady Hokage,"

"Sakura," the busty woman said sharply, honey eyes flashing. "Sometimes it's best to let things settle before stirring the pot. Now go!"

Nodding despite her confusion, Sakura took off towards training ground seventeen, the first place the idiotic blonde would go.

Let things settle before stirring the pot? What the hell was that supposed to mean?

Still trying to decipher her master's message, she barely noticed when she landed in the middle of a semi-destroyed training ground seventeen until a disgruntled bark brought her attention to the two other occupants of said training ground.

"Sakura! You need to keep your teammate on a leash!"

"Kiba?" she asked, suppressing a moan as her sore muscles screamed abuse. "You've seen Naruto?"

"Yeah, I've seen him! He interrupted a very serious conversation by collapsing and-"

"Wait, he collapsed? Where is he now?" Sakura demanded, all weariness forgotten.

"Back at his apartment-"

Without waiting for him to finish, she took off again to find her teammate.

Wait a minute... How did he get to his apartment? If he _really_ collapsed like Kiba said, there was no way he could travel across town without help.

With another chakra-infused bound, the pink headed girl was in front of Naruto's rather dingy apartment complex.

The first- and only other- time she'd been there, Sakura had been slightly concerned about the state of the building. She had figured Naruto was poor- what with the clothes he wore and such- but the whole _complex_ looked ready to crumple to the ground.

This time, however, Sakura was on a mission:

Find out why he had run off and collapsed.

Now, even she would admit she had a tendency to hit first and ask questions later, but after finding the door unlocked she just stormed in and started shouting.

"Naruto Uzumaki! Why the hell did you run away- oh," Sakura broke off, staring at the figure hovering near the bed- she hadn't thought to check for chakra signatures.

Now that she was actually there and not somewhere in violence-heaven, she could focus on the intruder.

The first thing Sakura _really_ noticed was the way she wore her hitai-ate.

A belt.

They were using the village's proud symbol as a belt (an actual belt, not just wrapped around her waist) not to mention the atrocious lack of clothing she- what man would allow himself to wear something like _that_?- wore. A shirt shorter than Ino's and without bandages, shorts that ended _way_ before her knees, and standard sandals.

Oh yes, it was a girl, a girl with long, braided black hair and startling silver eyes.

Silver eyes...

Oh.

So this was Naruto's... friend.

Speaking of, where was the idiot?

"Naruto!" she gasped once she finally caught sight of him. Oh god, what if he was on the brink of death? Why wouldn't she have taken him to the hospital? Did he have a serious illness?

OOooOOooOO

As soon as the girl with the ridiculous hair saw Kokoro standing over Naruto, she shifted into full on concerned-medic mode.

"Does he have a temperature? How long was he out before you saw him? Why on earth did you think it was a good idea to take him here and not the hospital? What have you done to him so far? Did-"

"It's just exhaustion,"

"Huh?"

"Exhaustion. Y'know, caused by lack of sleep and pushing yourself to your limits?"

"Of course I know!" she snapped, still looking like she wanted to drag the blond to the hospital.

"So I'm guessing you also know that all he needs is rest?"

"Yes... Yes, I know. Look, I'm sorry I freaked out. I've been a bit stressed lately..."

"Haven't we all," Kokoro muttered dryly, watching as the green chakra that had subconsciously gathered around pinkie's hands faded.

"Anyway, we got off to a bad start. Hi! I'm Sakura. Kokoro, right?" she asked, smiling and extending her- probably deceptively- soft looking hand.

She immediately spiked Kokoro's sixth sense, the same one that warned her when someone was about to thrust a kunai into her back.

It's not like the she _looked_ bad or ill-meaning, though her bubblegum hair was a little too sickly sweet for Kokoro's taste, and her voice and smile were a little _too_ bright.

Not to mention that she had the hots for Naruto.

The soft, gentle glance she sent towards his sleeping figure confirmed that much, including the fact that she herself was most likely unaware of it.

All it was was a teensy, tiny little crush that could _be_ crushed with some well-placed comments and jabs.

Still, she was a nice, caring girl who accepted Naruto for who he was- and what he carried.

Who also liked Naruto.

"Yes, I am. And I don't like you, pinkie,"

The look on Sakura's face coupled with a timely groan from Naruto almost made her snort with laughter.

Instead, she smirked and rested a hand on one of her blades.

"I don't like you at _all_,"

This was going to be entertaining, Kokoro could already tell.

After all, wasn't it an older sister's _job_ to protect their younger, more innocent sibling from deceptive witches like Sakura Haruno?

OOooOOooOO

**•O****ᑎ****E ****ᗯ****EEK ****ᒪᗩ****TE****ᖇ****•**

Naruto was ecstatic. Today was the day they- whoever _they_ were, besides him and Sakura- set out to capture Sasori's spy, who was conveniently spying on a certain pedophile snake-bastard. With any luck, Agent Ramen (he refused to call the spy 'The Spy') would be able to give them information on Sasuke's whereabouts and Naruto would be able to drag his ass back home, fulfilling the only promise he had been unable to keep.

Considering the circumstances, Naruto didn't think it was all that shocking for him to head out towards the rendezvous early.

At least, he _would have_ been early if he hadn't run into Ino, Shikamaru, and Choji.

"Nar-u-to!"

"Eh? Ino?"

"You idiot! It's all your fault!" the female raged, stomping over to him with her fists raised.

"Whatever happened, I swear I didn't do it!" he cried, slightly cowering from her imposing form.

"Oh really? So you're saying that you didn't go on a dangerous, classified mission, causing Flower to nearly go out of her mind with worry? And you didn't collapse, causing her to nearly go into hysterics again?"

"F-Flower?"

"She means Kokoro," Shikamaru supplied, having finally caught up with his teammate. "She mostly refers to people with nicknames in her mind only, but you've managed-"

"Zip it, Cloud Boy! Flower was barely eating and off somewhere during the day training! Not to mention the fact that she was still recovering from A-Grade poison!"

"Ino, calm down, Naruto didn't mean-"

"Stay out of it, Barbecue!"

As scary as an angry Ino was, Naruto still had to suppress the urge to laugh at her hilarious nicknames.

"Do you think it's _funny_?" she all but shrieked, glaring at her fellow blond. "She was running herself into the _ground_! I don't know what she was doing during the day, but whatever it was it exhausted her!"

"Troublesome woman, just calm-"

"Shut up!" Ino roared, shaking Choji's hand off before he could drag her away from her victim. "While you were in dreamland for three days, do you know what she did? She woke up at the crack of dawn for her secret training, came back to check on you at around eight o'clock every night, sparred Kiba until ten, dragged herself back home, and went to bed to repeat it all the next day! I'll bet she never told you that!"

"No... She didn't," Naruto muttered, half in shock. Even if that was only true for three days, he was pretty sure her schedule hadn't changed much before and after his return. It also struck him how little he really knew about her- he had no idea Kokoro and Ino were this close, not to mention Kiba.

"Alright, Ino. We have somewhere to be,"

"Troublesome blondes,"

"Fine," she huffed, crossing her arms before turning to address Naruto once more. "You don't deserve someone like her, Uzumaki. _Get your act together,_"

Naruto honestly didn't know how long he just stood in the middle of the road like the idiot he always claimed not to be. What he did know, was that he spent enough time wondering about Kokoro's likes and dislikes, among other things, to not only exceed his half-hour buffer, but totally obliterate it.

"Sakura, please don't kill me!" he yelled as soon as he was in ear shot. "Ino stopped me and-"

"Idiot!"

"Interesting team-dynamic," he heard someone muse, and after making sure his head wasn't pounded in he actually took note of the brown-headed man standing to his right. "I'm Yamato; I'll be Kakashi's stand in until he gets out of the hospital,"

"Oh. I'm Naruto Uzumaki! Belie-"

"Idiot!"

"I didn't even do anything that time!"

OOooOOooOO

"Anyway," Yamato said, attempting to get the two's attention.

It didn't work.

"Why were you so late?"

"I told you, Ino-"

"Don't try to blame this on Ino-pig!"

"But-"

"Idiot!"

"I didn't even _do_ anything!"

"Quiet!" he finally yelled, glaring at his new charges. "I understand that this is normal for you, but we are about to go on a serious mission. Calm. Down,"

"Yes sir!" Naruto called, saluting.

Oh god, he was going to have to resist the urge to kill him for sure.

Steady, Tenzō. Remain in control.

"Sorry, Captain Yamato,"

Well, at least _one_ of them was semi-respectful.

"Oh, and you can come out now. I let you stay hidden before, but now that Naruto's here we'll have to get moving,"

He had, of course, felt the ROOT member's presence seconds after he arrived, but Tenzō- now Yamato- had decided it best to leave him to his own devices for the moment. Sure, the Hokage had given him orders to keep an eye- a very _close_ eye- on him, but he'd found that the best way to observe someone is to not really prevent them from doing anything.

Not to mention that he'd be busy keeping Sakura from bashing Naruto's head in and, if he had any sense of intuition, Naruto from strangling the ROOT operative.

"I apologize, I did not mean to seem rude," an almost worryingly-pale boy said, stepping out of the shadows.

"You!"

"Nice to see you again, Dickless,"

Queue senseless spluttering from the hyperactive blond.

"What- why- you- I'm not-"

Angry yelling from pinkie.

"Nar-u-to!"

"Oh, and who might you be? I'm Sai,"

And a fake smile from Mr. ROOT.

"Wipe that smirk off your face!"

Sighing, Yamato steeled himself to confront the teenagers. Surely he didn't use to be like that- Kakashi-senpai would've told him. And even if he was, there was no way he'd have been so disrespect- wait, why was she-

"Good to see you're all buddy-buddy!" a chipper voice sang, effectively stopping all chaos in a manner that made Yamato almost jealous.

"What are _you_ doing here?" Sakura demanded, narrowing her eyes.

"Why, only meeting up with my team for my next mission, Pinkie," Kokoro Haratsuchi smirked, looking at Sai with interest. "Hm. I like your outfit,"

"Gin-me?!"

* * *

**I've done a horrible thing... my 10 year-old brother is now watching Naruto... his social life is over before it had the chance to begin. I'm so sorry! TT . TT**

**The poll is starting to reach its end- only a few more chappies. I'll tally it up next chappie cuz I'm too lazy to do it now. I had something else (important) to say, but I can't remember... Oh well.. See ya in a week...ish...**


	19. Chapter 19

**So sorry! So sorry! So sorry! Bad ShikaNaru! Bad! D: I'm horrible, I know. Virtual cookie? **

* * *

**:: The morning before meeting Sai ::**

Kokoro Haratsuchi was pissed. In fact, she was more pissed off than she had been a _long_ time. Not only had it taken over a week to "tame" Midori, securing her position as a Konoha Jounin, but she found out that she had been fed (and _bought_)the biggest load of bullshit ever created.

How stupid could she be? Had she really believed that Midori was the lovechild of _tree_ spirits named after _the fucking cardinal directions_?!

**Well, you'd been hearing it since you were seven...**

"Shut the hell up!" she growled, ignoring the slightly scared looks being directed at her. Really, the people should be used to the village's shinobi's less-than-mentally-stable antics by now.

Nothing, _nothing_ excused her stupidity, but she was more than happy to blame it on the person who had (probably) come up with the lie- hence her current predicament.

It turned out that the hospital staff wasn't too comfortable letting a furious kunoichi see the person her rage was directed towards.

"Please calm down; we can't let you through until you do," the particularly stubborn receptionist- Kaia, according to her name tag- repeated.

Stupid paranoid ANBU guarding the Hokage and receptionists guarding helpless and dying patients. Couldn't they see she needed to yell/kill/maim/glare/threaten with swords/banish to hell someone?

**Because that is ****_so_**** hard to understand. **

"I said shut up!"

"Please, I'll have to call-"

"Oh, take your own advice. I'm not going to do anything worse than yell," Kokoro snapped, pushing back the urge to smirk with malicious glee as Kaia hesitated. Civilians always forgot that ninjas were professional liars...

Two minutes and millions of barely-contained death threats later, she stormed into one of Konoha's white, plain hospital rooms ready to throttle its occupant.

"You knew!" she hissed.

"Kokoro? You didn't have to come visit little old-"

"Kakashi Whatever-The-Hell-Your-Middle-Name-Is Hatake! Don't give me bullshit!"

Kokoro knew that he was raising his eyebrows under that infuriating mask, she knew that he was wondering what caused the _little girl _to go off, and she _knew_ that he was enjoying it. Her blood boiling, she growled.

How dare he do this; how dare he lie to her! She had a right to know! Did he think she couldn't handle the gravity of her father's actions? Did he assume that a story full of protective, good spirits would make having a _thing_ sealed inside her easier?

**Oi! I resent that!**

"_What don't you understand about shut the hell up_?!"

"I didn't-"

"Don't say anything! You- you bastard!" Kokoro spit, glaring at the slightly worried Hatake. "You think I care what your excuses are? Well guess what- I don't give a shit! I can't believe you would come up with something so ridiculous as _tree spirits_!"

Kakashi, who had been looking a her with something akin to befuddlement and raising his hands in a placating manner, suddenly froze.

"Ah,"

"Ah? Ah?! Is that all you have to say? Did you really _just_ get what I was talking about? How do you forget telling a seven year-old that her father talked, made friends with, and pissed off nature spirits?"

"It was for the best. If you had known-" he began, but stopped himself. "It was an order,"

"It was _wrong_!"

"Kokoro, you're a Chunin- you know-"

"Actually, I'm a Jounin," she said stiffly, not caring to mention that it wasn't her choice.

"Then you have no excuse. Orders are orders. I couldn't tell you,"

Kokoro felt her as if something was squeezing her; she couldn't breathe, she couldn't see or hear clearly, and she felt like screaming.

Orders.

Everything could be traced back to orders.

Her father was able to experiment the way he did because the ANBU watching him were ROOT and under Danzō, and he ordered them to leave him alone. Takara was dead because they were ordered to go after the Nara, and she was killed by Kokoro because _she_ was ordered by him and unable to resist. She was a Jounin because she was ordered to be, it had nothing to do with losing the bet- Tsunade was going to make her one whether she wanted it or not.

She had assumed that Kakashi, the great Copy Cat Kakashi, was immune. He gave off an air of indifference, he was late to all but the most serious missions and meetings, and he played by his "own" rules.

"Damn you," she growled, drawing both her swords.

No one had their own rules, morals, or even purpose. It was all just an illusion meant to draw the younger generation in, and by the time they realized what was happening it was too late. In the real world, there was no such thing as a vigilante-type ninja, there were only good little shinobi who murdered _correctly_, and missing, bad, little shinobi who murdered _in_correctly.

And she was fed up with being good.

**OOooOOooOO**

**:: Back with Sai ::**

"Gin-me?! The hell?" Naruto yelped, immediately forgetting about Sai.

"'Sup, loudmouth, Pinkie, Yama,"

"I'm not a loudmouth!"

"Stop calling me Pinkie!"

"...Yama?" Yamato repeated blankly, torn between annoyance and relief that she didn't call him Tenzō.

"I'll call you all what I want," she grinned, and for the first time Yamato wondered if she really _was_ dangerous. It wasn't what she said, how she said it, or even the creepy grin, but the look in her eyes.

Oh sure, she hid it well. In fact, anyone less than ANBU wouldn't have noticed it, and mostly only because they saw it every time they looked in the mirror.

It was the look of elder ninja, one that you didn't get until you'd been to hell and further, either physically or mentally. One that meant that she'd seen the shinobi world for what it was and understood it horrific flaws and utter necessity.

It was also one that hadn't been there the last time they had seen each other, a matter of hours before, back when he had been Tenzō.

"Hey, pale-face, didn't you hear me? When someone compliments you, you say thank you,"

"Who are you? I do not think your name is actually Gin-me," Sai said tonelessly, reminding him of what he was.

Of course. He saw it too- Yamato was pretty sure it was impossible to be in ANBU (let alone ROOT) and _not_ see it. Whether he truly understood the emotional significance, or just recognized the look, however...

"Kokoro Haratsuchi- your new teammate!" she exclaimed, and Yamato wasn't sure if her cheeriness was sincere or not.

"New- what- Gin-me?!" Naruto spluttered, looking as if he'd gone into shock.

"Teammate? How can you be our teammate? We already have a re-replacement, Sai,"

"There is no need for you,"

"An idiot, a jealous hag, and a cold-hearted bastard... I like this team. Loudmouth, why didn't you tell me they were so amusing?"

Naruto, however, was too busy staring at her with his mouth open.

"Kokoro, why are you here?" Yamato sighed, he really didn't need this at the moment.

"Well... I've decided to join you. And, before you say anything, I'm a Jounin-"

"You're a _what_?!"

"It's a rank, Pinkie. Anyway, since I'm a Jounin, I have the right to attach myself to any mission I think has a dangerously low chance of success of A-rank or higher as long as I'm not needed elsewhere and the Hokage permits it. I'm not and she did. Would you like to see the paperwork?"

"You're letting your emotions get the better of you," Sai paused, and then added, "You made that up. That is not a policy,"

"No- Sai, was it?- I'm not. Do you think the Hokage would appoint an emotionally incapable shinobi the rank of Jounin?" she grinned, not acknowledging his accusation.

Before everything could spiral out of control, Yamato grabbed Kokoro by her elbow and dragged her away from the rest of the group, which was more for appearances than anything.

"There's no reason to look at me like that," she huffed.

"Listen, Kokoro, if you're coming on this mission just to keep an eye on Naruto and to vent your anger, please do us all a favor and stay in the village,"

"Nope!"

"Kokoro..." Yamato said, trailing off with a note of warning in his voice.

A dash of sadness entered the already confusing whirl of silver and green, aging the eighteen year-old more than wrinkles and scars could ever hope to accomplish.

"You don't have to worry. I _always_ complete my mission,"

**OOooOOooOO**

**:: Back before Sai ::**

"I am sorry, you know,"

That made Kokoro pause, and he had to make a conscious effort not to eye-smile at her. Kakashi Hatake, apologizing of his own free will? It was a rather ludicrous idea.

"You're sorry?" she hissed. "Sorry? What's that going to do?"

"Absolutely nothing," Kakashi said bluntly, looking at her straight in the eyes. "But I did what I did because I wanted to protect my village. Your father's actions, should they have been exposed, could have sparked the interests of others, and how would that have probably turned out?"

He didn't really expect her to answer. How do you, to something like that? But, if he was being honest, he never thought she'd take it that hard. Maybe Gai was right- cue inward shudder- maybe he _should_ try to understand others more.

Of course, the last time he tried that with a Haratsuchi he was rejected with only a hug from the _nice_ one for his troubles.

"Don't lecture me," Kokoro muttered. "I don't need- dammit! Why do you have to be so damn- I don't know, _wise_?! I was perfectly comfortable with the idea of murdering you and then you had to go and open your mouth! Dammit, dammit, dammit!"

"Kokoro-"

"Damn you. Just shut up,"

"You and Takara-"

"Don't talk about her, you unworthy bastard,"

"All I'm trying to say is-"

"I'm not listening,"

"Are you _really_-"

"No,"

"You don't even know-"

"Yes I do. Now shut up, I'm trying to think of how to kill you without being caught by the damn ANBU,"

"...You're acting like a child,"

"And you're acting like my annoying uncle or something,"

Slightly stunned silence.

"Ha. I win. See ya, bastard," she sneered, walking casually out of the room as if she hasn't been planning to murder its occupant mere moments before.

"Well, that was entertaining, Kakashi-senpai,"

"I didn't know you could calm down women,"

"Troublesome,"

His mind still on Kokoro, Kakashi didn't deem it worthy to reply and chose instead to just look at the three intruders, only one of which came through the door.

"Alright men, and kid, we all know what we're here to discuss and it's not pretty young women,"

"Naruto, then?" Kakashi sighed.

"Yeah. Naruto,"

* * *

**Again, I'm so sorry! I basically procrastinated and it's entirely my fault for taking so long! I promise to get the next chappie out in a week to a week and a half!**

**I was going to make the whole Kakashi-Kokoro thing last longer and add the poll stats but decided to make it shorter to get it out faster. Was that a good idea? I can always make an omake at the end of next chappie and we can pretend it's "cannon" if you want...**

**The ending's probably rushed... Oh well. Sorry again! **


End file.
